7 Tricks to Improve Your Writing
Beyond entrance exams and admissions essays, every college student is expected
to occasionally wield the mighty pen for a paper of some fashion. No matter
what your major is, dreaded term papers and e-mails to professors and classmates
loom ahead. Writing skills can be the gateway to better grades and greater
academic achievement. Any author, from Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. to Diane McKinney-Whetstone,
can polish his or her writing by practicing these seven easy tips:
1. Read, and read a lot. The more you read, the more
your parameters will expand. No matter what interests you - whether
it’s history, sci-fi or adventure - reading will subject
you to different writing styles, expanding your vocabulary and your familiarity
with grammar and punctuation. Don’t limit yourself to books -
magazines also are quick and informative reads.
2. Be yourself. Write what you know. You can write
more intelligently on familiar subjects. Sure, more research can be done,
but don’t start with a foreign topic. On a similar note: avoid
unfamiliar words. If you use fancy language that’s not “you,” it
shows. Big words do not equal intelligence. Be cautious when using your
thesaurus!
3. Practice, practice, practice! Go beyond writing
for school assignments. Write in a journal daily. Write short stories
or poetry. No matter what you write, as long as you are putting pen to
paper (or fingers to keys), it will only help you grow.
4. Create an outline. Outlines are extremely helpful
when writing because they will help you stay on topic. It’s
tempting to branch off into new information as you write, but you should
keep your reader in mind at all times -
you don’t want to
confuse them. Creating an outline will facilitate organization and cut
your writing time down dramatically.
5. Learn proper grammar. Grammar is often overlooked
these days. As you read more, you will become more familiar with grammatical
principles. Learn how to diagram a sentence. This will make you very
conscious of the different parts of speech and how they relate to each
other.
6. Revise your own work. You are your own worst critic,
which will show as you edit your work. Many students write without editing
or even rereading their papers. This can be a fatal error – spell/grammar
check WILL NOT catch everything. Guaranteed. Ask friends to read over
your work, too. Someone else’s revisions can help just as much,
if not more, than your own.
7. Review your past work. Take an hour every month
to go back through what you’ve done in the past. See what you did
and analyze how you might write it differently now. You’ll be able
to see your growth, and you can give yourself a pat on the back for a
job well done.
