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Top Ten Tips For Writing Like A Pro
by Cathy Kessler
Many people love to write, but simply don't feel they are as effective as they could be. Others hate to write, but find themselves in a position of having to for business reasons. Regardless of whether you write advertising or website copy, books, manuals, or simple business letters, there are certain aspects that remain the same.
These top ten tips will help you gain direction for your writing will give you confidence, and will have you writing like a pro in no time!
1. Define your audience.
Writing - in any form or fashion - is communication. Before you can communicate with someone effectively, you need to know a good bit about them. Take time to outline who will be reading the written piece. Men or women? Business people or stay-at-home-parents? Do they have special needs? What puts them in a position to want to read what you have to say? The more in tune you can get with the readers, the more effective your writing will be.
2. Brainstorm.
Whether mentally or on paper, take time to let your creative juices flow. Think of why you are writing and whom you are writing to. Then jot down some notes about what you want to say. For longer written pieces such as books, create a preliminary outline that you can expand on later.
3. Get inspired!
When you find yourself "stuck" (and I say "when" because all writers come up dry from time to time), look for inspiration. You might find it in the form of a walk through a nature trail, a magazine article you recently read, an excellent ad flyer that came in the mail, or a letter you've received. Inspiration can come from any number of sources!
4. Create a draft.
Now it's time to write. To start, simply begin writing. Don't worry about the flow or the grammar. Simply keep your mind focused on the readers and why they would be interested in what you have to say.
5. Do the research.
If you're lacking information, or need to gather some facts in order to make a point, do a little research This can be just the perfect element to get your writing to the point it needs to be and to help you fill in any missing gaps.
6. Create a revision.
Begin to refine your work, making sentences more concise, making points more obvious, etc.
7. Get an outside point-of-view.
Once you have a working revision of your piece, show it to a neutral third party. This serves several purposes such as making sure your explanations are clear, defining missing elements, and ensuring your message is being received.
8. Revise, revise, revise.
Yes, this is a primary part of writing. Incorporate the changes into your draft and make any needed revisions.
9. Get some help.
At the point you feel your piece is complete, send it to a professional proofreader. Why? Primarily because most writers get weary of a work before it is done. This is a dangerous place to be!
Errors are overlooked, typos are skipped, and elementary mistakes go uncorrected. The final bit of polish a qualified proofreader can provide is vitally important to the quality and professionalism of your work.
10. Send it on its way!
You're all done. Now send your written piece to the intended reader(s) with full confidence that it will reap your desired results.
