10 Ways to Become a Better Writer

Are you a writer? It's time you get better at what you do, it can always get better, you can always be a better writer, with this few points, great values can be added to your writings!

• GET IT CLEAR

The first step to becoming a better writer is to always ask yourself this important question ‘why am I writing’ before you sit down to write any piece.

 What is the end result you desire your piece of writing to achieve?

  Is your write up targeted at making someone’s day better and brighter? 

Or you are writing an educative piece or a motivational post on dealing with failures,  or an health related issue or perhaps the recipe to your favourite dish.

There must always be a clear intention for writing anything and your write up must reflect that intent.

• STRAIGHT TO THE POINT

In the business world, brevity is gold. Your write up must be brief and concise.  For most people too long write ups are usually a turn-off even before they start reading.  It is there important to think about your audience and create a road map for yourself by filling the following statements:
The reason I am writing is?
What I want you to know is?
What I want to do is?
Once you have successfully answered the above questions,  you can always refer to them as you write to keep yourself on track.

• STRIP IT DOWN

Albert Einstein once said,  “if you can’t explain it to a six-year old,  you don’t understand it yourself”. Your audience determines the simplicity of you write up,  whoever your audience are,  your piece of writing must be simple enough to comprehend. For instance, if you are writing for an audience of little kids -  impatient and easily distracted with zero tolerance for jargon, your write up must be juicy and exciting or else, they get bored with the writing.
You can practice out in the real world by having actual conversations with kids. Try talking to one of them, their response helps you know if your elevator pitch is clear and intriguing or it’s the opposite.

• WRITE FROM YOUR HAPPY MOOD

Your mood generally affects your write ups, in fact, your mood will reflect in your writing. Research shows that when you are in a happy and relaxed state of mind you write better. When your body is experiencing a rush of dopamine, your brain processes better. That’s when those A-ha moments (ooh!  I’ve got the perfect tile) or an inspiration to continue an already abandoned chapter pops up. To clear nd relax your mind, try doing something fun-play energizing music, bounce on an exercise ball, whatever it takes to help you relax.

• GIVE YOUR SELF TIME LIMIT

For a lot of people, the longer it takes for you to finish a piece of writing, the worse it gets. Once you have your clear reason to write and you feel excited and relaxed, your first draft is usually the best. There’s no use for endless brooding.
Clear your inbox for example, give yourself a time limit- say 2 minutes per email to prevent yourself from slipping into analysis. You can setup a playlist to keep yourself rocking along.  When the song changes,  hit “send” and move on.

• ASK, “WHAT WOULD MY HERO WRITE”?

In a situation when you are writing a sensitive piece, where hitting the right emotional tone is essential, try channelling one of your personal favourite writers. “what would Dr Maxwell write in this situation”?, “How would Richard Branson handle this email chain”?. That should help give an anchor.

• CLOSE STRONG

Caught in a sea of never ending email threads? Or questions building upon questions, never leading to decisive action? Try taking a decisive stance yourself, rather than writing an open-ended prompt. For instance, think: “in my opinion the following approach is the best choice. If you agree, write back to say ‘yes’ and I’ll get started. “
Not: “so, what do you guys think?  I’m open to everyone’s input! “.

• USE THE 7 MAGIC WORDS

“All I need from you right now”
Put these words up to the top of your correspondence, as in: it excites me that you are one of our keynote speakers in this year’s convention. All I need from you right now is the little of your speech, your slides and you r bio’.
These seven magic words passes a clear assignment and puts them at ease. You can always add more details if need be.

• SAY IT OUT LOUD

It is also important to read out loud your piece of writing. It helps you detect areas in need of correction-are you stumbling over excessive long sentences?, and typo errors or miss spelt words. Are you writing in your office or a library and you can’t read out loud to avoid disturbance, try lightly tapping your finger on your desk or thigh as you silently read each word in your head. (it’s bizarre right?) Well it works just as ready g out loud.

(10)BE A DAY MAKER
Be a positive infludnce to somebody, help brighten up someone’s day. Generate a positive energy from yourself that can lighten up another’s mood. With everything you write, every mail, every tweet, every Facebook post, every text, you have an opportunity to be a beacon of hope, to make someone’s day(or not) Most times, all it takes is a few words of kindness, a thoughtful compliments of words of encouragement that leaves people thinking ‘oh!  How I need to hear that’.
Set ‘Day maker’ as your measuring gauge of success- for your writing and all you do. Whether you writing is perfect or not, you can be sure our intent will shine through.