Even in the digital age, the written word still rules supreme. It is the most common way to share information. For that reason, it’s critical to work on ways to improve your writing. Although, video is fast catching up and may one day take over.
But, for now, the chances are that you will end up writing something virtually every day. Students and workers may write essays, emails and business letters. While other people need to write personal emails, letters and speak with their friends via chat. The fact that we all use the written word so extensively in our everyday life means that it is worth improving our writing skills. Below, are some free ways for you to do exactly that.
Make Use of Citation Tools to Improve Your Writing
I am going to start with an unusual one, the free citation tools that Scribbr provides. They have two of them. One generates MLA citations, while the other does APA citations. Both are excellent.
For students, website owners and businesses they are both very handy tools. All these people regularly create content that references other people´s work or research.
If a business puts together a loan application they will likely be asked why they want the money. Part of answering that question could be proving that there is a growing market for a particular product or service that they provide. This can be done using statistics generated by various studies. Adding a citation when quoting those figures helps to add credibility to their loan application. It enables the person considering their application to check the facts for themselves.
Use Spelling and Grammar Checkers
Regardless of how hard we try, most of us still make at least one or two spelling or grammar errors when we write. So, it is important to use a tool like Grammarly to pick up the worst of them. When you do so, over time, you will begin to notice which mistakes you make the most often. This gives you a chance to polish up your writing skills in a targeted way.
If you use Word to write your work, cut and paste your content into Google Docs. They have an excellent spell check capability, and it’s completely free to use, even if you don’t deliver your writing using Google Docs.
If your writing activities are an income source for you, such as freelance blog or website writing, impeccable grammar will be an absolute necessity.
Become Well-read
Broadening your horizons and growing your vocabulary are two other ways to become a good writer. But, that does not mean that you have to spend time reading the dictionary, although, that method of learning new words actually does work.
Instead, you could simply read more. Ideally, you should alternate between fiction and non-fiction books. This stops you from getting bored while ensuring that you learn more about the world around you. Facts that you can use to enrich what you write.
Listen to Podcasts
If you are not much of a reader, listen to podcasts instead. Provided they are on a subject that you like, you will enjoy doing so. The fact that you will likely be listening to all kinds of people means that it will broaden your vocabulary.
Studies show that similar areas of the brain are stimulated when you read or listen. So, either approach will strengthen your ability to write well.
The No. 1 Way to Improve Your Writing: Practice, Practice, Practice!
Lastly, make sure that you practice. Write something every day. Keeping a diary is one way of ensuring that you do so. With the added benefit that doing that is good for your emotional and mental health.
What a great post! I’m already using Grammarly to help with keeping grammar in check. It’s been an awesome tool so far. It even gave me a heart smiley for mentioning it lol. I like the other tips and intend to use those as well. I didn’t consider listening to podcasts as a way to improve my writing, but it makes sense since vocabulary is also best learned through listening to others speak.