Somewhere on the Web I found these tips on Writing, that I thought I would capture on my site for my own handy reminder and reference. Glad if it helps you.
1) Improve your writing, but it will require work and time. Even a small effort toward improvement can have positive results. It’s up to you!
2) Care about your writing. Take it seriously. Good writing is important.
3) Most writing can stand some improvement.
4) Read. Anything. Daily. The more familiar you are with a language, the more comfortable you are with it. Distinguishing between proper and improper word choice, grammar, and so on will become easier.
5) Improve your vocabulary. Learn a few new words every week, month, or year. A wide vocabulary gives you a better command of a language; bigger word menu provides you with more selection, more possibilities of expression when conveying ideas to others
6) Practice writing. Write letters. Write in a journal. Write whenever you can. Write about anything. You’ll become more comfortable with the act of writing.
7) Buy books about writing style, and read them. Even a few pages every month can be helpful.
8) Revise your writing. Revise. Revise. Why Revise?
A. Simplicity
B. Clarity
C. Readability
9) Make friends with a dictionary and a thesaurus, If you encounter an unfamiliar word, LOOK IT UP! If you use the same word repeatedly, FIND A NEW ONE! Take control of your language; don’t let it control you.
10) Read your writing out loud. Your ears can tell you a lot about your writing. For example, are you out of breath or confused at the end of a sentence that you’ve just read aloud? Does every sentence sound the same?
11) Simplify your writing. Eliminate the unnecessaries.
12) Think clearly when you are writing. Don’t let fuzzy thoughts become fuzzy words. And if thinking fuzzily helps you get started, return to that initially fuzzy first draft, and revise it for clarity! Don’t let rough draft fuzziness become final draft fuzziness.
