{"id":10351,"date":"2020-12-14T07:55:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-14T12:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/?p=10351"},"modified":"2023-08-22T11:17:45","modified_gmt":"2023-08-22T15:17:45","slug":"how-to-write-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/?p=10351","title":{"rendered":"How to Write Better: 10 Straightforward Techniques"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Whatever you write, you want to get your thoughts across in a clear and effective way \u2014 that\u2019s the first thing you need to know about how to improve writing skills.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re a novelist, you don\u2019t want awkward word choices or repetitive sentence structures to distract your readers from the story.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a freelancer, you don\u2019t want your work to seem sloppy or poorly edited.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you blog, you don\u2019t want readers to switch off because you\u2019re far too wordy.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want the good news? Even if your writing skills aren\u2019t as strong as you\u2019d like, there are plenty of straightforward techniques you can use to improve them.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some suggestions on how to write better.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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How to improve writing skills: 10 new ways to clean your copy<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

No matter how much of an expert you are, all writers can stand to pick up a few tips to learn how to write better. The same way a piece of writing is never \u201cdone\u201d being edited (there\u2019s <\/span>always<\/span><\/i> something), the work to improve your skills doesn\u2019t end. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether you write articles, blogs, social media copy or research papers, here are 10 techniques to use to help you write anything well.   <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Cut unnecessary words<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Here are two paragraphs that say the same thing. Which one is stronger?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Example 1<\/b>: <\/span>In my opinion, the majority of freelancers should probably avoid working for free (or for a nominal sum) unless they are at a very early stage of their career and as yet have no pieces for their portfolio at all.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Example 2: <\/b>Freelancers shouldn\u2019t work for free unless they\u2019re just starting out and don\u2019t have any pieces for their portfolio.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second clearly states a stronger case, especially since it reaches the main point with fewer <\/span>unnecessary words you don’t need in a sentence<\/b><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you write a blog post, most readers will assume it gives your opinion, so you don\u2019t have to state that. <\/span>Mastering brevity is an easy way to improve writing skills. Simply be clear, firm and direct<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Avoid well-worn phrases<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Some phrases are so familiar they\u2019ve lost their impact: they\u2019ve become clich\u00e9s.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, \u201cIn my opinion,\u201d from the previous example is a phrase you can always cut. Here are a few others:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n