Improving your writing skills isn’t as hard as you might think. As a student, you write a lot. Think about this! Assignments, essays, exams and many more. Even though you are not thinking of yourself as a writer, you put your thoughts into words more often than you realize. Having said that, becoming a good writer needs good writing skills, lots of practice and an intense desire to make progress.
Having good writing skills have a positive impact on your academic performance and securing better grades. Besides, many activities in your daily life require good writing skills on a regular basis ranging from writing captions on your Instagram post to writing an email.
The good news is you can improve your writing skills even if you think it’s intimidating. All you need is the willingness to learn and practice more. In this blog, we have put together some effective ways to improve your writing skills.
Give your writing structure
Before you start putting ideas into words, think about what you are trying to communicate with your writing to your readers. You have to organize your writing structure as you are trying to arrange your rambling thoughts into some particular order.
Make sure you are clear on the concept you are writing about
Bob Marley said, “When I explain things in my songs, I explain it in a very simple way, that means if I explain it to a baby, the baby will understand.”
Before you dive into writing, try to explain the concept in a simple way (in your head first) that a six-year-old baby will understand.
Many students think that writing is something you need to fill with fancy words, vocabulary and abstract meaning. This is not necessarily true, the important thing is having clarity on the message you are trying to communicate with your readers.
Outline your message
Outlining refers to a process of designing a simple framework about the topics you want to cover in a particular order. For instance, if you are writing an essay, you can organize an outline into simple structure– introduction, body and concluding paragraphs. Having an outline saves your time and helps you get back on track when your ideas are deviating.
Don’t try to over explain everything
A good writing skills follow KISS principle– Keep It Short and Simple. Don’t overwhelm your writing with trivial details and over explaining everything. The important point to consider when writing is whether the information you put in helps your readers understand your message. If it does not, get rid of it.
Practice more writing
Think about your favourite sportsperson. What makes them super successful? Is it God given talent or excellent practice? If you look at successful people in any area, you will understand that the only way to be the best is through practice.
Similarly, the only way to improve your writing skills is to practice, practice and practice. There is no shortcut to become a better writer without practice. You can practice your writing on diverse topics or genres to improve your writing skills. Here are some tips for you:
Write on a specific subject you are interested in- For instance, if you love comics, write about your favourite superhero and why you like it. Or it could be writing about your favourite musician or favourite places that you’ve recently been too. Furthermore, try to write a simple topic in a variety of ways. Eventually, you will find easier to come up with better words, ideas and content.
Practice Writing- to- Learn activities- Writing to Learn activities are informal and intend to be more communicative. Students can practice writing in their own words to enhance their understanding of subject material. Here are a few examples:
- Entry Slip: Before reading your lessons, write short notes for 2-3 minutes about what you already know about this particular topic.
- Crystal Ball: Writing about your prediction (what might happen next) to the character while you are reading a storybook. A simple example of crystal ball is you can write about what your life will look like in 10 years time.
- Correspondence: Students can write a letter to a real or imaginary person connected to a topic you are studying. For example, in a social studies class, you can write a letter to important historical figures, kings or your favourite war heroes; asking them questions on what was their life look like.
- Stop ’n’ Writes: After completing a lesson, you can pause, reflect and write about the lesson. You can ask questions to yourself and write. For example, What I learn after studying the lesson? What I didn’t understand? and so on.
Try inquiry based learning– Inquiry based learning involves students participation and encourages them to explore the study materials. This includes researching topic on your area of interest, asking questions and sharing ideas. For example, you can interview a social worker in your community and document their interview in your writing.
Practice collaborative writing- Studies show that collaborative writing has positive result on improving student’s writing skills. Writing in peer groups provides opportunities for students to learn from each other, get constructive feedback and improve their writing skills.
Practicing collaborative writing has synergy effects as two heads are always better than one; you are more likely to come up with new ideas, and integrate them more creatively.
Read a lot
William Faulkner once quoted this–
“Read, read, read. Read everything — trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it.
Then write. If it’s good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out of the window.” -William Faulkner
The best writers are voracious readers. If you want to improve your writing skills, you must read consistently. Reading shows you different techniques, styles and genres of writing followed by other great writers. Moreover, it helps you improve your writing skills as you pay closer attention to their word choice, sentence structure and storytelling approaches.
So, grab a book from your favourite author, start reading and most importantly get yourself to writing. Let the ideas flow through your head and enjoy your writing process.
Remember writing is not rocket science. Today, you start writing and you will improve your writing skills tomorrow. In the words of John Wooden, “good things take time, as they should.” Always be curious and open minded, and never hesitate to get help and feedback from your teachers on a regular basis. Eventually, you will improve your writing skills. At Samriddhi School, we emphasize holistic development of our students by educating them practical learning experience beyond the classroom. We are committed to inspire and motivate students to achieve the highest standards of intellectual development as well as personal growth, through a stimulating and comprehensive educational program.
For more information about our school in Kathmandu, please visit our website or Contact us- 014390590/ 4383777.