Thrive: Improve Your Writing Skills Part I

This post is labeled under Personal Development, Career Move


Few of the skills often neglected by people who are on technical professions are their writing skills. I’ve seen professionals and students who were technically in-depth but were poor in presenting an idea they have.

Skill in writing is one of the few criteria often looked for candidates for promotion. It is not enough that you are well-good on your craft but be able to present, persuade to people an idea or suggestion on hand: one of the qualities that must-have by managers and leaders.

I am no expert of writing. The fact is, up to now, I’m still trying perfecting this craft to be effective in practicing my professions. But with the materials I have read through times, I can easily sense if the material is badly written or passed on a good taste of writing.

Courtesy of http://institutechildrenslit.net
To be or not to be

You do not need to be a playwright to draft a good reading material. Writing good content starts by asking why the need to write. Do you need to convey information or persuade other people to act? Having a clear purpose of writing achieves establishing a clear sense of direction.

I admit that writing is a rare talent not everyone possesses. Struggling writers (like me?) start by organizing our thoughts first before hitting the pen (or keyboard). You compensate the lack of talent with preparedness. I used Mind Map technique by Tony Buzan in order to have a clear picture of what particular interest should I present on my writing. You can see a sample of that on this post.

Keep It Sweet and Simple (KISS)

The purpose of organizing or outlining your thoughts is to avoid saying unnecessary as you write. Make your statements straight to point. Beating around the bush often misses the thing you want to emphasize. Have a habit of revising your statements in a clear, concise manner. That alone saves time on the part of the reader.

Correctness of grammar and spelling is a sign of respect to the reader especially if your target audience has achieved a level of education who conforms to the correct way of writing. Show respect first to gain respect from others.

Read Today Write Tomorrow

Reading does not only make you exact but imaginative as well. Sometimes it’s hard to convince my students to read. With the proliferation of visual effects on movies and even on games, most people find no fun reading “boring” texts. What often people miss is imagining all the emotions poured as one writes in each statement. How many times did you ever read the hidden messages the writer wants to convey? Reading between the lines offers a good laughs which visuals miss in subtlety.

You need to be exposed to a lot of reading to gain organizing your thoughts. Start on materials that fall on your interest. Schedule and make a habit of reading. I offered few tips on my past post Read to Improve Skills to complement good writing. Little by little you will notice the confidence you gain as you draft your prose.

“Blogging” makes perfect

Like with any other skills, you need to practice to gain mastery of the craft. People ask me on what they should write and where. Begin with your interest to start the ball rolling. You may create a blog of your interest to let the world knows what’s on your mind.

Never fear committing mistakes: that’s part of the education. Be thankful to those who criticize your writings because they offer insights for you to become better.

How about styles in writing? Is there an effective way to make your article fun to read? Expect answers on the next (last) part of this post.