How to be a good writer? Tips and suggestions!

‘There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed’- Ernest Hemingway

Reading a good article is always a pleasure. You scarcely want to read a badly written article, do you?

What makes you interested in reading an article?

• The writing style must be good
• The grammar must be perfect
• The writer should know what he is writing about.
• The topic should be interesting and engrossing.
• The article should be easy to the eye.

How will you feel when you see an article written without proper grammar?

• You will not feel like reading it.

Will you read if the content is downright drab and boring?

• You will skip pages or turn to another website.

What is good writing?

It is an art of expressing your thoughts in a way that makes others want to read it. When you know what you are writing about, you write with cohesion as your thoughts flow easily and effortlessly. But most of you fear writing as you are apprehensive about your ability to put forth your thoughts.

Writing is like talking with your pen, the only difference being your voice will not be heard, but read.

There are few things to be considered before writing.

• You need some privacy. You will be unable to write with competence when there are lots of people around you.
• You must write down the points before you start writing. This speeds up your writing as you do not have pause for points.
• You should have good seating arrangements. When your chair or table does not feel comfortable, it affects your writing in an indirect way.
• There must be silence in the room as noise distracts your attention. I always like to write in the early morning when there is no noise and everything is calm and quiet.
• You should be ruthless in your editing. Edit away repetitive thoughts and ideas as it bores your readers.

The topics for articles

The initial start to writing is the topic you are going to choose. You must know all the facts of the subject you are writing about. If it is about a historical event, you should be very careful to have the proper date, place and the names of people involved in accurate detail. Any wrong information will give you a negative image.

Ways to write an article

If you are writing about some technological topic you should have the proper know-how of the technical terms and facts about it. But when you are writing about something personal, you have a long leash and you can play around with words and present your thoughts according to your liking. So your writing style depends upon the topic you have chosen.

My style of writing

Do you know what I do before choosing the topic for an article?

• I always have a list of interesting topics written in a notebook.
• I look at the list and decide on the topic according to the mood I am in.
• I write motivational articles when I need a pep talk.
• I write about God when I feel He has helped me overcome problems

. It would help you a lot when you keep writing topics in a note book when some idea strikes you. It makes it easy for you to pick and choose your title.

When the topic has been chosen, you should keep thinking about the additional factors that will add to its interest. I always keep a paper and pen wherever I am. Even when I cook I might get some valuable point and I immediately jot it down. Believe me it helps me a lot in getting over the mental block writers always have.

Do not be specific about grammar and sentence while you are typing. It might be a blabber of thoughts, with no grammar or logic, but you should keep writing. There are times when I laugh at the way I have written. But I now have the outline for the article which makes it easy for me to develop when I am editing.

When to proofread

Do not proof read immediately after you have written. Your thought flow will have nothing new to contribute to the article as your mind is still embedded with the ideas you had while writing it. When you edit your article the next day you will be surprised by the new thoughts and ideas you develop about the topic. Your article will now sport a new and informative look.

How to proof read?

Do not proof read in your mind as you will miss the minute mistakes. Read loudly which helps your eyes to pick up the faults. Is your editing over now? No, it is not. You should proof read again and again until you feel satisfied by the content and the way you have written it.

Do not write in a very prosy way as it will not make a good reading. Conversational articles immediately strike a chord of interest in your readers. Short paragraphs are easy to the eye. Numbering, bullets give your writing an edge. When you add images your article becomes a visual treat as well.

Have satisfaction

There should be contentment in your mind when you read your article. The satisfaction you have gets reflected in the mind of your readers who find your article worthwhile, interesting and sometimes life changing also.