As writers, we all wish we could do the thing we do, day after day, easier. Does it ever get easier? Are there things we can do to make writing go more smoothly? Keep reading for eight ways to improve your writing from Fancy Comma’s Sheeva Azma.
Just keep writing.
This might seem like a weird piece of advice, but take my word for it. Having been a freelance writer since 2013, I can say that the process overall gets easier. As you write more, your brain learns the best way to say something, and it gets easier to organize content. Weirdly, I’ve rarely experienced writer’s block the way some people have — perhaps because I don’t do creative writing. There’s always a ton to say, and as I’ve written more and more over the years, I’ve become more adept about the best ways to say what I want to say.
Read a lot.
I often complain that I don’t have time to read books for fun, but I’m always reading. Whether I’m doing a deep dive into a new topic for my client, reading a friend’s webpage, or checking out the latest news story that’s gone viral, I’m always reading. Along with that, I’m always analyzing the text I read. If I find a particularly good article or passage, I think about why I like it. Then, when I’m writing, I think about that passage and try to emulate it. Reading voraciously is a great way to level up in writing.
Talk to other writers.
We’ve talked about the power of networking and building community in previous newsletters. This goes beyond chatting with other freelancers on social media. Offer to critique a fellow writer’s work. Ask them for feedback on something you are writing. Offer to barter their editing services for a glowing testimonial on LinkedIn or their website. Talking to other writers and reading their writing is a great way to quickly improve your writing.
Set aside time every day to write (even if you’re just writing a Tweet).
I’m writing every single day. Sure, some days it’s a single tweet, and other days it might be a 10-page document, but I’m always writing. Tweeting is a great way to improve your writing skills. Being forced to fit your thoughts into 280 characters requires knowing what you want to say and the most effective way to say it.
Experiment with different writing styles.
As weird as it may sound, the work I do as a technical writer helps me write blog posts. Writing a landing page helps me improve the marketing skills needed to work social media. The skills you learn from different types of writing help make you a more prolific and versatile writer. Check out this post for tips to learn about different writing styles, and ways to improve your writing styles.
Make time for planning and outlining what you will write.
Angela Tague has written a great post about the benefits of preparing to write. Preparation saves you time and keeps you organized.
Be patient.
Remember that good writing doesn’t happen in a single writing session. Writing well takes time, effort, and patience. Sometimes, you may write a first draft that seems disorganized and cluttered, but when you come back to it the next day the ideal way to restructure it comes to you.
Take care of yourself.
Set boundaries and make time for self-care and downtime. Writing is a creative process and you can’t be creative when you are running on empty.
What are your favorite writing tips? Feel free to chime in on the comments or tweet at us @FancyComma.
What we’ve been reading (and writing)
I love this post about rethinking the value freelancers provide, featuring Wudan Yan and Jenni Gritters of The Writer’s Co-Op. Tim Herrera’s newsletter is a great resource for freelancers in general, so check it out!
As freelancers, we have the opportunity to choose who we work with, but we can still sometimes be stuck doing projects with people whose values don’t entirely align with ours. Michelle Garrett writes about ways to resolve the differences when working for a company whose values don’t align with yours.
On the Fancy Comma blog, Sheeva’s high school classmate Matthew Bow, an Army veteran, has been busy blogging. Most recently, he wrote about survival mindset and ways to apply it to entrepreneurship. Check it out!
Check out a day in the life of Pakinam Amer on The Open Notebook. She’s a science journalist living in the Middle East.
I’ve thought about pitching to Open Mind Magazine, a new publication from the Science Literacy Foundation. If you’re interested in taking a critical view of science coverage in the pandemic, check them out. Open Mind endeavors to be “a town square for honest discussion about the communication and miscommunication of scientific ideas across the media.”
That’s a wrap for this month’s newsletter. If you liked our post, please share it with your friends and colleagues. We’d also love your feedback on topics you wish to read about. Talk to us in the comments or tweet at us @FancyComma.