7 Excellent Ways to Enhance Your Writing Skills

Successful bloggers have one thing in common: they are excellent writers. They know how to write engaging and compelling content that keeps readers glued. While each blogger has their own unique style, great bloggers utilize some basic principles of writing great content. Becoming a standout writer takes time, but if you are committed to improving, you’ll soon be at the top. You don’t have to get a degree in English to write creatively. Simply follow these tips to improve your writing skills.

#1 Write Every Single Day

While you may not publish a blog post every day, it is important to write daily. The more you write, the better you’ll become at creating quality content. When you produce quality content, you will position yourself as an expert and boost the chances of your content getting shared. On days when you have a hectic schedule, set aside at least 15 minutes to write. Remember that practice makes perfect, and you can’t become a better writer if you don’t practice. Words may not come magically at times, but as you continue exercising, your skills will improve.

#2 Read Every Day

It is not enough to write every day; you must also read every single day. Since you need to produce content frequently for your blog, reading can help you to get new blog post ideas. Reading helps you to stay updated on the latest happenings. It enhances your knowledge, boosts your command of the language, and improves your writing skills. You can read posts by other bloggers in your niche, newspapers, and even magazines. If you want to be seen as a guru, you must have extensive knowledge about your industry and this can only be attained through reading. When reading, look up unfamiliar words in online dictionaries. They show you how to use context to determine the meaning of a word.

#3 Do Not Use Complex Words

The best writers don’t use the most complicated words. Your content should stand out because of its underlying message, not because you use big words and difficult phrases. After writing a blog post, read it out loud. Does it sound like you’re having a conversation? If you’re not talking to your readers in your post, there’s no need to publish it. You should have a personal conversation with your audience by being clear and straightforward. If you are verbose or use too many complex words, you’ll shut them out. When readers understand and like your post, they share it, like it, tweet it, and link to it. Write as you talk. Each sentence should flow naturally.

#4 Use Eye-Catching Headlines

In a world filled with information, you must do all you can to ensure people read what you write. Headlines should never take a back seat. Some bloggers come up with headlines after creating content for their blog posts. This should never be the case. A headline is very important, even more important than the article. You can’t have a bad headline and great content. Research shows that only 20% of readers read an entire blog post. To ensure your post gets read by as many people as possible, choose a headline that will make readers swoon. It should be creative, unique, and SEO-friendly. To write catchy headlines, do the following:

• Use numbers (5 reasons why…, 2 ways to…)
• Use unique rationale (the principles of, lessons you can learn from)
• Use captivating adjectives (fun ways to, essential products for)
• Use trigger words (how, why, when, what)

Fascinating headlines stand out from the rest. They get more clicks because they are both clear and unique.

#5 Steer Clear of Long Paragraphs

Before reading a blog post, readers scan it to see if the content is worth reading. A post comprised of one large paragraph suggests you don’t know enough about English to break your thoughts into segments or can’t be bothered to present concepts in a compelling way. Every good writers use paragraphs. However, you must make sure that your paragraphs make sense. Each one should clearly express and elaborate on an idea. Your paragraphs should flow with the rhythm of your story. Divide your ideas with subheadings and readers will find it easy to read your posts.

#6 Edit Your Work

Even the greatest of bloggers make mistakes. After writing a blog post, take time to proofread and edit it. Check the grammar, punctuation, spelling mistakes, context, sentence structure and overall readability. You can take a break after writing to ensure your mind does not play tricks on you. You may misread typos and errors if you start proofreading immediately after writing. If you have a friend with good writing skills, you can enlist their help. You can also hire an editor if your budget allows. The more you proofread and edit your work, the better your grammar will become.

#7 Master the Wonderful Art of Storytelling

Since time immemorial, people have told stories. The morals of stories have helped shape cultures for generations. Human beings love communicating and learning through stories. Unfortunately, many modern businesses do not embrace storytelling. They focus on PowerPoint presentations which are neither interesting nor exciting. The best blog posts are those that tell good stories. When you tell a good story, you initiate conversation, enhance your credibility, and create a personal connection with readers. Blog posts that tell stories are the ones with the highest engagement.

When you tell stories in your blog posts, you will not only capture the attention of your readers, you will make it easy for them to remember the information. You can talk about your mistakes, state why you are writing about a topic, or use real life examples. Stories are memorable, inspire action, and travel further.

While everyone who writes is a writer, there are amazing writers and second-rate ones. If you want to become a great writer, you must be ready to do the work. Writing blog posts is a skill, and you should organize your ideas and write in an appealing manner if you want to grow your readership. When people share your content and link to it, your ranking will go up. Maximize your writing skills and grow your blog audience.