Writing Tips - 7 Tips to Improve Your Writing

Good Writing Tips

As a writer who is often asked to write reviews and craft back cover endorsements of other authors' work, I wince at poor sentences that have survived a mediocre edit, forcing the reader (in this case, me) to wade through prose that is flat and uninteresting. Although this may sound harsh, it's true. In this article you'll learn tips for improving your writing that will make your work more interesting and readable. After all, there is nothing half as satisfying as reading a book that you can't put down. (For tips on specific types of writing, see our Related Resources section below.)

7 Great Writing Tips

• Avoid Overusing Adverbs - although these words are intended to add emphasis, they often do the opposite because the sentence never had enough muscle to stand on its own. Adverbs are words like truly, totally, actually, completely, etc. Worse than using an adverb in a sentence (and sometimes you need it for precision, particularly when it comes to dialogue) is using more than one. When editing a sentence with an adverb in it, ask yourself, is it stronger without it? Is there a better way to say it? More than one adverb per sentence is a no-no.

• While we're on the subject of adverbs (words that end in -ly), let's continue with other words the end in suffixes such as: -ness, -ingly and -ize. Again, although using such words may seem like the proper word to use, it the lack of the proper word that forces you to use them. Although these words can sound official, they such the muscle from your sentences (and your meaning), leaving nothing but the fat. Try to avoid using them.

  Writing Tips: Good writers avoid "to be" verbs.

• Avoid using '"to be" verbs. One of the first rules of good writing, this requires that you construct your sentences with verbs that have muscle, movement and staying power. "To be" verbs include: is, are, was, were, be, been, and on and on, ad nauseum. Of course, sometimes, you will have to use them, but do so sparingly. Case in point: which evokes a more vibrant image: "He was late for the meeting" or "Late for the meeting, he sped down the hall." The second sentence gives us an image; the first does not.

• Don't overuse "There is ... " or "There was ... " Starting multiple sentences in a paragraph this way makes your writing flat and lifeless. Use this phrase sparingly and remember what I said above about "to be" verbs.

  Writing tips: make your characters unique and memorable to make your book one your readers can't put down.

• Show, rather than tell. Show us how your character feels by describing his posture and how he walks, rather than telling us he feels miserable. Showing engages the reader; telling distances the reader from the action in a book.

• When writing non-fiction, use analogies to make your writing more concrete. Abstractions may be impressive to intellectuals, but readers of non-fiction need to make use of what they read. Make your words strong and memorable and you'll make a difference in your readers' lives.

• When writing fiction, make your characters unique and memorable. In turn, this will make your novel unique and memorable. If all your characters talk with the same witty style, you'll bore us to death and reveal your inability to see the uniqueness that's all around you.

Follow these simple writing tips and your writing will improve. Remember that the best writers are always working on the craft of writing.

About the Author: Laura Ramirez is the author of an award-wining parenting bookKeepers of the Children and the author of several ebooks.

Related Resources

• How to Write a Book Report
• Memoir Writing
• Article Writing: How to Write an Article
• Writers Links
• Make Money Writing
• Make Money with Adsense