While I’m a big fan of getting a degree in English (I got mine from Harvard, if that helps you sleep at night), there’s still plenty to be said for learning things in other ways. With writing, the best way to improve is to write more and read more.
But if you want to spend some money and save some time here are some of the best ways to boost your writing skills without taking an English class:
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Focus on clear and concise communication. |
| 2. Practice writing regularly to enhance your skills. |
| 3. Read widely to expose yourself to different writing styles. |
| 4. Seek constructive feedback to refine your work. |
| 5. Develop a strong understanding of grammar and punctuation. |
| 6. Use storytelling techniques to engage your readers. |
| 7. Pay attention to your audience’s preferences and needs. |
| 8. Edit and revise your work to eliminate errors and enhance clarity. |
| 9. Experiment with different writing formats and genres. |
| 10. Embrace your unique voice and perspective in your writing. |
1. Read More
Reading is a great way to improve your writing. Reading helps you understand the way other writers write and use words, structure their sentences, and punctuate their work. It also gives you insight into how they think about writing.
When it comes to improving your writing skills without taking an English degree or even studying English in college at all, reading is one of the best things that you can do on your own.
Reading helps writers improve their work by giving them perspective on what works well and what doesn’t in someone else’s writings and this knowledge can be applied directly when writing their pieces!
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2. Take A Short Writing Course
Take a short writing course. Some of the best tips you’ll ever learn are taught in English classes.
You may think that grammar and punctuation don’t matter anymore, but if you want people to take your writing seriously, they do. If you want to write like an English major or editor, you need to know the rules first!
There are many different types of writing courses available on the internet today some free and some paid but I would highly recommend taking a course from similar sites such as Udemy or Skillshare.
These sites not only offer great resources for improving your work (such as step-by-step instructions on how to properly format an essay).
But they also offer tutorials on everything from journalism skillsets like news reporting style manuals or interviewing techniques down into teaching tools like how people communicate within social media platforms like blogs.”
3. Hire An Editor
The first step to hiring an editor is finding someone who has the right skillset. This person should be a good writer, but they also need to have excellent communication skills and a thorough understanding of the subject matter.
They should not be afraid to tell you that your writing isn’t quite up to par but they must also recognize when it is!
A good editor will help you improve your work by pointing out where there are problems (and having conversations about how best to fix them), but he or she won’t do all the work for you. Ultimately, it’s up to you as the writer and only you to make those changes.
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4. Learn The Rules Of Grammar
Grammar is a set of rules that govern the use of language, and writers need to know them.
Grammar helps us communicate effectively. We can understand grammar in two ways: prescriptive and descriptive.
Prescriptive grammar refers to the rules that have been established by experts (such as teachers) or authoritative bodies (like government agencies), whereas descriptive grammar describes how people use language.
Prescriptive grammar is often mistaken for being more correct than they are because it’s based on what someone thinks should be written rather than what is written, which may turn out to be incorrect when considered in the context
5. Consider Starting A Blog For Professional Development
Blogging is a great way to improve your writing skills. It’s also a great way to build your professional network, develop your brand and learn more about your industry.
If you want to get serious about blogging, start by creating a blog that reflects what you are trying to accomplish.
For instance, if you want to build up your brand as an expert in HR technology then create a blog that focuses on HR Technology using topics such as employee engagement, recruiting tools & strategies, or diversity & inclusion (to name but three). Once you have created this blog then it’s time for action!
6. Join A Writing Group
While you’re learning to write better, you might be surprised at how much you can learn from other people.
Learn from other people’s mistakes: You know that saying, “I learned more from my mistakes than I ever did from my success?”
Well, with a writing group, you have the perfect opportunity to learn from your peers’ mistakes. If something happens in your story or poem that doesn’t work for the reader, it’s best to know what not to do before trying again.
Learn from other people’s successes: Even if they’re not all successful novels or poems (because let’s face it mistakes are inevitable), there’s something we can all take away from each other’s stories and poems when we read them aloud at group meetings and critique them together.
And if someone has written a brilliant piece of fiction or poetry that speaks directly to me as an aspiring writer? That gives me hope for myself!
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7. Practice Active Reading
When you read, active reading is the act of focusing on what you are reading. A passive reader skims over what they are reading and doesn’t stop to think about it or analyze it.
Active readers understand that the author has a purpose for writing the material they’ve chosen, and they look to understand this purpose as they go along.
Active readers also try to grasp the meaning behind their text because that’s what helps them learn more about their subject matter this understanding will come in handy when you’re writing too!
Active reading is also important because it helps you understand an author’s tone and style better than if you were just skimming through your textbook or workbook pages without really thinking about them much beyond memorizing key points from each chapter/section.
So that later on down the line when someone asks “so tell me about this,” maybe with some drinks involved as well…
8. Get Rid Of The Passive Voice In Your Writing
The passive voice has a bad reputation, and for good reason. When you use the passive voice in your writing, you’re making action happen to the subject of your sentence instead of by it. For example:
In this sentence, “The woman was hit” is an active phrase because it describes what someone did she was hit. In contrast, “She was hit” uses the passive voice because there’s no indication of who did what; all that’s clear is that she received some kind of action (being hit).
The big difference? Active sentences tend to sound more interesting and engaging than passive ones do.
You can see how using active verbs will help you avoid some common problems like beginning sentences with “there are,” creating unnecessary distance between yourself and your reader by using too many words such as ‘an’ or ‘the’, or being unclear about whether something happened once or repeatedly.”
9. Think About Why You Want To Write Well
Why do you want to write well?
Think about why you want to write well. Is it for yourself, for your family or friends, for a job you’re applying for? What kind of writing are you writing and what kind of audience is your work meant for?
Do they have any preferences or expectations that will affect how they receive your work? Do they know that you have little experience with writing and perhaps lack confidence in producing quality content?
Will they be able to tell that this is not your first time writing at all or could they think that everything was written by them (or someone else) is automatically good just because it comes from human hands?
These questions are important because there are many reasons why people choose not to read something:
Maybe it doesn’t look like it was written by someone literate; maybe the subject matter isn’t interesting enough; maybe no one knows who wrote it, or maybe there aren’t enough spaces between sentences.
Whatever reason might be true, there will always be an excuse not to read something if no one cares enough about reading anything at all.
So before we get started on actually improving our skills as writers (which I promise will make all these unanswered questions feel irrelevant), we need first consider whether or not anyone even cares about our thoughts/opinions/ideas etcetera…
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10. Use Contractions In Your Writing
Contractions, such as “don’t” becoming “don’t,” are more conversational and make your readers feel like you’re speaking directly to them. They’re also shorter, so they save space on the page and allow you to fit more words in a given paragraph without making it look cluttered.
Contractions are also more informal than full words; they don’t suggest high-brow writing or anything fancy just casual conversation between friends or family members.
In writing, contractions tend to be less common than they would be in speech: people tend not to use contractions when putting together formal documents, like legal contracts or research papers (though there are exceptions).
On top of that, the number of contractions used tends to increase as a piece gets less formal you’ll see fewer of them in academic articles than journalistic pieces (which themselves have fewer than personal essays).
11. Define The Goal And Purpose Of Your Writing Project
You’ll be able to write better if you take the time to think about the goal and purpose of your writing project. Before you start writing, ask yourself: “Why am I doing this? What is my purpose in writing this piece? What do I want the reader to get out of it? And who is my audience?”
If you don’t know what your goals are, then how will you know when they’re accomplished or not? The answers to these questions will help guide your choices as a writer so that each sentence has a specific purpose.
12. Have Another Person Read And Critique Your Work
Read your work aloud to yourself. If it sounds awkward, there’s probably something that needs fixing.
Have another person read and critique your work. You can ask friends or family members to give you feedback, or hire a professional editor if you have the money!
Read books on writing by great writers like Stephen King and Ernest Hemingway (and if they aren’t available in print anymore, check out their books on Amazon). They know how to write well!
13. Identify Your Audience Ahead Of Time And Cater To Their Needs
If you’re writing a blog post, maybe write it with the audience of visitors to your site in mind. If you’re writing an email to a friend, maybe put yourself in their shoes and think about how they would respond.
If you’re writing an article for publication on another website or in a magazine, identify your target demographic and look at other articles published by that site or magazine so that you know what kind of content works well for them.
Sometimes knowing exactly who is going to read something can affect how we approach it when we sit down at our desks…
14. Make Sure Your Writing Is Coherent, Logical, And Readable
The best writers can make their writing coherent, logical, and readable. They don’t confuse readers or leave them scratching their heads trying to figure out what the writer is saying. They don’t use long words when short ones would do.
And they don’t write so little that it’s hard to get anything out of their work (or worse yet, they never finish).
To make sure your writing is coherent, logical, and readable:
Make sure your sentences are connected in a sensible way (and if you’re not familiar with sentence structure rules like this one about clauses and punctuation marks that can help!)
Make sure there aren’t any unnecessary words cluttering up your sentences (like ‘just’ or ‘only’) – especially if those unnecessary words are making something seem more important than it is!
Make sure there aren’t any sentences that repeat information we already got earlier on in the paragraph or chapter; this kind of repetition makes everything feel choppy and disjointed instead of smooth flowing prose which makes reading easier on our brains!
15. Consider Taking Some Classes On Copywriting Or Marketing
Writing copy is an art. There’s a science to it, sure, but the art comes from knowing how to write in such a way that readers can’t help but take action.
Copywriters know how to make people do what they want them to do whether it’s buying something or giving up their email address and they have tricks of the trade that make this possible.
Marketing is related but quite different from copywriting. Marketing is about getting your message out there so people see and hear it; marketing involves marketing yourself as well as your work (or product).
The two go hand-in-hand: if you market yourself effectively, then people will be more likely to buy into whatever message you’re promoting because they trust you (the messenger).
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Conclusion
We hope you’ve found our article helpful and will continue to build your writing skills. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll be teaching others how to write better. We’re optimistic that these writing tips will help improve your craft and give you a new appreciation for the art of writing!
Further Reading
Coursera Article: Writing Skills Learn about essential writing skills and techniques through this comprehensive article on Coursera.
WordStream Blog: Improve Your Writing Skills Explore practical tips and strategies to enhance your writing skills, focusing on improving your content’s impact.
Indeed Career Advice: How to Become a Writer Without a Degree Discover insights on pursuing a writing career without a formal degree, including actionable steps and advice.
And here’s the “FAQs” section:
FAQs
How can I improve my writing skills?
Improving your writing skills involves consistent practice, seeking feedback, and learning from experienced writers. Explore various resources such as online courses, writing guides, and workshops to enhance your abilities.
Can I become a writer without a degree?
Yes, you can become a writer without a formal degree. Many successful writers have built their careers through dedication, self-study, and continuous improvement. Focus on building a strong portfolio, networking, and honing your writing skills.
What are some effective strategies for enhancing my content’s impact?
To enhance your content’s impact, consider techniques such as storytelling, using vivid language, incorporating data and evidence, and understanding your target audience’s needs and preferences. Experiment with different styles to find what resonates with your readers.
How do online courses help in developing writing skills?
Online courses provide structured learning experiences that cover various aspects of writing, from grammar and style to storytelling and publishing. These courses often include assignments, peer feedback, and expert guidance to help you develop and refine your skills.
What are the key components of strong writing?
Strong writing involves clarity, coherence, proper grammar and punctuation, engaging storytelling, and a well-defined purpose. Additionally, understanding your audience and tailoring your content to their interests and needs contributes to effective writing.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.