Writing Tips

 Now that you’ve decided to try your hand at writing, here are a couple of tips to get you going: 

Write everyday

It’s going to take a while before you eventually develop your writing style. The best exercise for writers is to perform a task over and over until you perfect it. The more you write, the better your writing style will become. 

It doesn’t have to be an essay or even five hundred words. Try writing at least a hundred words everyday. 

Better yet, find some writing communities (you might find a few on LinkedIn or Facebook) and join a writing prompt. Publishing your work online will get your writing noticed by fellow writers and readers. 

Be Cautious about where you send your work

Always conduct a thorough research before submitting your work online. There are a lot of vanity publishers out there who may get you to sign a contract with them only to not pay you for your work later on. 

This is a site I referred to when I started out writing: http://hipiers.com/publishing.html

You will get regular updates, reviews and advice which will help you decide whether or not to work with that publisher or take up a services offered by those who promise to help you in your writing career. 

Find ways to improve your vocabulary 

A good piece of writing will not have syntax errors. The writing will be smooth, appropriate words will be used, and easily comprehensible. Therefore it isn’t mandatory to use big, complicated words just to show-off your vocabulary. 

As it goes, if the reader has to reach for a dictionary while reading your work, then the reader will no doubt lose interest quickly. 

Mostly because it will seem cumbersome to them but also because no one wants to feel like they are too dumb to understand something. 

And that is why the correct usage of words in important in writing. 

To do that, you need to improve your vocabulary because the correct word will paint the perfect picture in your reader’s mind. 

The more vivid you paint the picture, the more your readers will want more of it. 

Start a Blog to promote your work and practice writing or connect with your readers. 

There are plenty of free blogging platforms out there to start off with blogging. Once you get the hang of it, and find that you may be interested in putting up a post regularly, then it would make sense to get a paid blog which you can also monetize. 

Why blog? For one, it will make you practice your craft everyday. Set up a goal and try to write a few lines for your blog everyday. 

You may also find that your interests match with other people around the world who find your blog and want to either contribute or comment on it. Blogging is a great way to get readers from all over the world to notice your writing and gain some followers. 

Plus, it is a great addition to your writing portfolio. 

As tedious as it seems, always carefully edit your work before submitting it anywhere. 

You’ve finally finished writing that manuscript or article and can’t wait to submit it. But wait! 

There might be some errors that need fixing. 

Often, you’ll find yourself at a point where you just want to ‘get it over with it already. You want to see your name in print, you want to hear what a great writer you are, you want readers to be awestruck by your masterpiece. 

Because of that you are bound to overlook some common mistakes that can ruin your chances at being accepted. 

Or perhaps, like me, you happened to type an article or a chapter on your phone and guess what a smartphone does best? 

You guessed it…Auto-correct! 

In your mind you have written a great sentence that is the highlight of your work but another look at your document will show that there are too many errors. 

I did make the mistake of sending a manuscript that I typed on my phone to a publisher. I basically wrote chapters in the Notes App then compiled it on my laptop. 

The worst mistake I made was not even reading through it once before sending it off to my publisher. 

The very next day I was almost scolded by my publisher for sending in a manuscript with so many mistakes. 

So yes, always revise your work before sending it in. An error-free document will show how professional and serious you are about your writing. 

I highly recommend Grammarly. Get the App, the Extension, everything! It will pick spelling errors and grammar inconsistencies plus comment on your delivery. 

Of course even Grammarly isn’t a hundred percent accurate. It is always better to take a break after you’ve finished writing, do whatever it takes to relax your mind, and only then tackle with revisions. 

You’ve put so much hard work in your writing, you deserve that break to do something a little fun before getting back to work with a fresh outlook. 

This practice definitely helps.