Tips to Make Your Writing Better

Writing is a skill that constantly needs adjusting. I want to give a couple of writing tips to all you aspiring writers. Try to focus on improving your style, grammar, and punctuation. I've noticed a trend among writers that are new to freelance writing. They seem to think that what they learned in high school and college applies to online content. This becomes a problem because these are two different styles of writing. In school, they will teach you a very formal way of writing.

Most of the phrases that link two sentences together are things like however, thus, and moreover. It may not seem like there's anything wrong with using these words, but it makes you sound like a robot. People in real life rarely use these words in their conversation. If I'm reading an article and the author uses these words, then it makes me not want to keep reading. Rewording sentences to avoid these phrases would make the sentence sound more natural. 

The way I establish tone and phrasing in an article is by being a character. I try to think of a person in real life, and I'll try to mimic their tone. For example, if I need a formal sounding article, then I'll try to sound like a business man. A CEO of a major corporation comes to mind when I hear a formal tone. If a client needs a light-hearted article, then I'll take on more of a comedic approach. Just try different characters in your mind, and match it with the tone of the article. 

I read a lot of online content, and most of it sounds so forced. You want your sentences to flow from one to another seamlessly. Which brings me to my next point transitions. What are transitions and why are they important? Well, transitions are sentences that link two ideas together. I've put an example below, so that you can grasp the concept.

                   Example:    I went to the grocery store yesterday.(wrong)
                                      The cashier was so nice to me.
                                         
                                       I went to the grocery store yesterday.
                                       I found everything that I wanted, so I headed to the check-out line. (right)
                                       The cashier was so nice to me.  

Looking at the first two sentences the ideas aren't clear. Transitional sentences link those two ideas together, so that the sentences sound better. The middle sentence describes what you did that lead up to meeting the cashier. Without that sentence being there it breaks the flow of ideas. Transitional sentences take practice to master, and you'll have to proofread your article to apply them correctly.

New writers will make this mistake again and again. When I read their work it sounds like a bunch of mixed ideas. They constantly flip-flop between thoughts, and it makes their work difficult to follow. Ask yourself will the reader understand these two sentences? Maybe you need a transitional sentence to make it easier to read. 

My last piece of advice is try not to sound like yourself when you write. Especially, when you're being paid for an article. This is something you have to stay away from at all costs. I've seen "professional" articles, and it sounds like the reader is talking to one of their friends. This is okay if you're just blogging, but in a professional atmosphere, it's a no-no. 

Read over the article and take out any wordiness that you may find. Cut the article down to the facts and transitional sentences. Imagine yourself talking to an important person like a doctor, politician, or your boss. The tone is going to be completely different, than if you were talking to your high school friends. Read over the article multiple times to catch all of these errors. If you follow all these rules, then you'll be sure to take your writing career to the next level.