I knew early on that I had to find out how to become a better writer. When I started writing blog post, I was far from a natural. Writing was something that I had to work hard at in order to create something I felt others would want to read.
I spent plenty of time just looking at the screen mid post not sure where to go from there. Finding a way to beat writers block and create interesting content, was a very real and common occurrence in the beginning of my blogging journey.
Were you a natural writer when you first started writing?
I was determined to get better and make writing easier for me. I wanted to develop my own writing style that people will find informative, easy to understand and practical. Over a short period of time I was able to accomplish more my writing goals.
I am about to mention something that I’m pretty sure you have seen more than once or twice but ‘Content is King’! How we write can not be ignored and we should spend time developing our craft. Majority of us write with the intention of others one day reading what we have to share.
It takes true skill in order to write on a subject that may be dull but with the right twist, one can make it interesting and informative. Writing more post in less time is a big bonus as well. These tips I will share below helped me achieve more with my writing and you can benefit from them as well.
3 Practical Ways On How To Become A Better Writer
1) Commenting On Blog Post
Yes, commenting on blogs can help you write better. Commenting on blog post is a controversial topic but when you look at all the benefits, commenting on blog post should be taken seriously.
Commenting on blog post is not typically associated with becoming a better writer but lets look at a few of its benefits.
It Challenges You
Commenting on blog post will continue to push you to becoming better at writing. When you read a post, even if it is not necessarily in your niche or expertise, coming up with a valuable comment on the topic is making you better.
Even coming up with a few short paragraphs on some topics can be a task in itself. By continuing to read and add value to the conversation, it is helping you learn to take small pieces of information and piece it together to make a complete and valuable thought.
It Helps You Come Up With New Blog Post Ideas
Even if it is a topic you are not familiar with, commenting on a post can give you some good post ideas on the same or similar topic. When commenting on a post, it may spark an interesting poll or statistic you read about in the past. By the time you are done with your comment, you may have an interesting post idea that came from what you shared in your comment.
It Forces You To Read More
Commenting on blog post will force you to read more, as mentioned in the first tip. You will have to read post in order to understand the authors point, in order to make a comment that is valuable and on topic.
You Will Read Faster
Repetition is a powerful thing. The more you read, the faster you will get. The faster you get, the more post you will be able to get through in the same amount of time. If you get through more post, you will be able to leave more comments.
Reading faster is certainly a powerful tool to have under you belt.
2) Read From Already Successful Writers
Taking the time to actually read from other successful bloggers can help you develop your own writing style. You will read a lot of different information, shared in plenty of different styles. After reading enough of others post when you begin to write, things can become more fluid in how you craft your post.
It may even feel like you are using someone else’s style at first but that is completely OK. You will see a lot of successful people tell you to mimic what other successful people are doing. That is an easy way to know that the system works.
By reading others material you will get so many benefits. You will learn from others that are doing it. Styles, techniques, tools, resources, build relationships, develop your own style of writing and much more.
Reading others style will be excellent for learning what works for you and what doesn’t feel so smooth. You will begin to incorporate several different styles which will lead to you having your own unique writing style.
3) Create Different Types Of Content
There is plenty of information on the web. There is not much that has not already been shared online. The task is not to put out new information but to create content in a way that has never been seen before. So create infographics, SlideShare presentations and any other form of content you feel will go well with your strategy.
Lets look at infographics for a second. Creating a fresh, new infographic will allow you to use your writing skills in a whole new way. All without the added pressure of trying to come up with a 8,000 word post like my friend Kevin Duncan just recently accomplished
When you create content on these different platforms, it will continue to bring fresh ideas to the surface. That is the first and sometimes the hardest step in becoming a better writer and creating memorable content. When you begin to generate all these new ideas, when you are writing a blog post, it will be easier to put your ideas down and elaborate in a way that readers will enjoy and understand at the same time.
You can not forget about the importance of adding original Visuals to your Content as well. You need visuals to help spread the word about your content.
*Bonus Old School Tip*- Write Your Ideas Down
There is nothing more frustrating than coming up with a good post idea, then after a quick conversation with a co-worker you can’t remember your thought. As I just mentioned above, creating fresh, new ideas is a major part of the writing process.
A quick jot in your notebook or creating a new memo on your phone will help with creating new content. It is worth stopping what you are doing for 30 seconds to get this done.
The Moral Of The Story
It’s all about continuing to challenge yourself. Do everything you can to continue to keep those creative juices flowing. Then it’s just about writing them down and perfecting it.
Even though I didn’t add the ‘Just Write” section, which is one of the most common tips I have seen on this subject. It is still very important and should be practiced as much as possible as well.
Using these tips and ‘just writing’ will surely begin to make writing more natural feeling and less of a task.
This comes over time but it will come. You will develop your own style which will get you noticed and while getting more done in the same or shorter period of time.
Even though I am still learning and working on my craft often, these things I found along the way that has truly helped develop the post you see today and I hope you find this valuable to you as well.
What type of tips have you used to become a better writer?
