5 Tips for Writing Better–Right Now

August 3, 2010 in Writing Tips | Comment

5 Writing Tips Do you want to improve your writing style right now? No matter what you’re writing? Just follow these 5 no-nonsense writing tips:

Write at the Grade 8 level—or below. Think like a newspaper reporter writing a front-page piece on a deadline. Keep your thoughts organized, simple and direct. Write in active voice. The following tips will help you reach that Grade 8 goal.

Keep your sentences to 10 words or fewer. This one will hurt. Aim for an average sentence length meeting that magic 10. Cut the compound sentences. Kill the semicolon. Ditch the wordy intro phrases. See how effective this technique can be?!

Don’t use a dollar word if a nickel word will do. Sure, you know more words than Webster’s. Save them for Scrabble. When you’re writing, use simple, straightforward language to make your point. Thinking “fabrication”? Write “lie.” Thinking “comprehend”? Write “understand.” Thinking this writing tip is “preposterous”? Write “crazy.” Like a fox.

Grab the reader’s eyes. Don’t write yards of text without breaks. Be a writer and an artist: Your writing should be verbal and visual. Use headings and short paragraphs. Highlight information with bullet points. Pepper your page with bold text. Tuck in a graphic.

Cut and carve your “final” version one last time. Just when you think you’re done . . . give your piece one last review. Cut any remaining fat and condense your writing—again. Carving your Thanksgiving turkey is easy. Carving your final draft is tough. This last chopping session can mean the difference between an average piece—and a great piece. Don’t skip it!

So what’s the easiest way to count words and calculate grade level? Microsoft Word has taken the pain out of that process. Be sure to enable Readability Statistics, and then check spelling and grammar for every piece you write. At the end you’ll get a readability summary of what was on point—and what wasn’t.

Fair warning: You’ll probably go screaming into the wilderness the first time you use the readability tool. Don’t give up. Just keep practicing until you get the rhythm of these 5 tips. Once you do, you’ll look forward to those readability results.

As a freelance copywriter, I make these tips work for me every day. You can make them work for you, too. So grab your computer keyboard and start writing.

Want more writing tips? Just let me know. This freelance copywriter will be happy to share.