Whether writing an email, article, blog post, white paper, press release or any other type of communication, the quality of the content comes first. Right behind that is the quality of the writing. Even savvy writers need to practice, fine-tune and hone their writing skills on a regular basis. Here are 10 tips to help you turn good writing into great writing.

Writing Tips

1. Write in the active tense, not in a passive voice. The connotation is stronger. Instead of writing, “The road was crossed by the chicken,” (passive voice), say, “The chicken crossed the road” (active voice).
2. Keep sentences short. No more than 14 words is best. If sentences become too long and complicated, you will lose readers’ interest. But be sure to vary sentence length and structure to ensure a logical and engaging flow.
3. Eliminate adverbs wherever possible. In most cases they are extraneous. Use more descriptive verbs instead.
4. Write in one voice. Either the first person (I or we), the second person (you), the third person (he, she, it, they). It makes the content more consistent and coherent.
5. Minimize punctuation marks as much as possible (parentheses, colons, semi-colons). In most cases, you can accomplish this by starting new sentences.

   

6. Avoid phrases such as “in order to,” “start to” and other unnecessary phrases.
7. Opt for commonly used words. Avoid jargon wherever possible and replace more complex words with simple ones. They are more reader-friendly.
8. Keep paragraphs short. When information is broken down into smaller chunks, it’s easier for the brain to process.
9. Read text aloud. Awkward sentence structure and grammatical or spelling errors often show up readily when reading out loud.
10. Ask yourself “so what?” at the end of every paragraph or section. Sometimes writers get caught up in word count over meaningful content. Make sure every sentence, paragraph and section address the topic at hand. If not, delete or revise the content.

Turn Good Writing Into Great Writing

Remember, not all subject matter experts are expert writers. When developing content for any internal or external communications, put together a short outline or list of bullet points you want to cover. Write your content and then edit it for accuracy and interest. Does it have an attention-grabbing headline? Are there any typos? Does it deliver on your intent? Does it answer your readers’ potential questions? Then, share it with others and ask for feedback. Sometimes an extra pair of eyes can help turn good writing into great writing. As with any skill, the ultimate way to become a better writer is to practice. The more you write, edit and proofread, the better you will get at it.