ESL Blogs

What motivates people to want to become better writers? Several things!

1. They are students with a lot of essay and paper assignments and know that their writing skills are not the best.
2. They are adults who have writing tasks as a part of their job tasks and responsibilities
3. They are individuals who have goals of becoming authors, either fiction or non-fiction.
4. They are individuals who want to make money providing copywriting for any number of web-based venues.

The question then becomes, how do you enhance your writing skills and, in some instances, develop a unique style that is appreciated and valued by your readers? First, you must understand that writing skill improvement is a process, not an “overnight” accomplishment, and you must accept the fact that this endeavor will require hard work and time. If you are still “game” for this project, here are some important tips to help you move through the process successfully.

1. Define your goals. If you are a student who must improve formal writing skills to produce written assignments, then your goal is far different from that of someone who wants to develop great, conversational and informal skills suitable for blog posts, articles, and web content or the would-be author who must master good story-telling.
2. Read, read, and read some more: Research clearly shows that individuals with solid command of language usage, grammar, vocabulary and style are those who have always read for learning and for entertainment. By consistently exposing oneself to the written words of others, people “cement” the skills that constitute good writing and increase their vocabulary exponentially. The more you read, the better you will become as a writer. If your goal is focused on a specific type or writing, you should read that type of writing! A would-be mystery novelist, for example, needs to read these types of novels from best-selling authors; a would-be copywriter must read good examples of that type of writing, by carefully reviewing website text, blogs, and articles on prominent directories. Absorbing the “style” is critical to writing in any venue.
3. Serious Issues With Grammar: This is a common problem in an age of instant messaging, Facebook postings, and texting. We simply do not focus on correct grammar and usage when we engage in these activities. The goal is simply to be understood, not to utilize correct grammar, mechanics and spelling. Vocabulary is also quite limited in these forms of communication. And contemporary writing in a variety of venues will not require formal grammar as much as creativity and “style.” Unfortunately, however, solid grammar and composition skills must first be mastered before any “license” to deviate from them can be effective. If you have not mastered basic grammar and composition skills – organizing content, sentence structures, transitions, punctuation – you are in trouble. You must correct this weakness by enrolling in a basic composition course or utilizing the services of a tutor. You can develop your own “style” once you have mastered the basics, not before!
4. Know Your Audience: An academic piece of writing will require very formal English composition; a blog post on health and fitness, on the other hand, will require an informal style that appeals to a less “academic” audience. A novel will be filled with descriptions that use figurative language and dialogue that reveals the personalities of the characters. Each of these venues requires a very unique style of writing. So, once you have mastered the basic elements of good writing, you are then free to adjust your style, vocabulary, punctuation, etc. to appeal to a specific audience. Consider, for example, the very different styles that will be used in an introductory sentence on the subject of climate change:
   1. An Academic Research Paper: “While the vast majority of members of the scientific community agree that climate change is real, they differ with respect to the proportional importance of a variety of causal factors.”
   2. A Blog Post: “Who are we to believe in this hot topic of climate change, now that it has become a political ‘football?’ Oil companies, car manufacturers, environmentalists, lobbyists and campaign finance organizations are all in on the act now, and their lies are piling up.”

Obviously, you can see the difference!

1. Write, write, and write some more: No one becomes an effective writer, no matter what the venue, without consistent practice. Students will confirm that they write and re-write at least portions of essays and papers before getting to that final draft; authors will speak to the volumes of words that they compose that they then must re-write or scrap altogether. No one produces good writing without a lot of false starts and editing. If you really want to become a good writer within your specific niche, resign yourself to the fact that you will be writing all of the time and that much of what you write will not be worthy of publication. Such is the fate of writers. But, when that great piece is finished, and someone has said, “Well done” or “We’ll publish this,” what a great “high” that is, and, somehow, it makes all of the struggles worth it.

Can you become a good writer? Yes, if you are willing to commit the time and effort to the task. Can you become a great writer? Absolutely, if it is your passion and you are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that goal! Remember, writing is both an art and a science. Great writers have mastered the basics of good grammar and composition; they have also commanded their “muses” to bring their creativity and unique style to the surface!
Made with help of Assignment Mountain by John Unger.