If you search Google for tips on how to become a better writer, you’ll find a lot of big promises.
Here’s the truth:
There’s no magical tip, trick, strategy, or hack capable of turning a bad writer into a good one.
But if you’re looking to improve your writing skills by 5%, if you want to go from average to good or even good to great, a valuable tip (combined with hard work) can help make it happen.
Here are fourteen such tips:
1. Find Your Unique Voice
Serious question:
If we all listen to the same experts and we all follow the same advice, how is it possible for anyone to stand out from the crowd?
The trap many of us fall into is we believe if we mimic a popular blogger or writer, we’ll be popular too.
Imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery, but it’s a no-win proposition. Even if you succeed, you’ll be indistinguishable from all the other parrots out there.
There’s only one you. You have unique DNA. Your hopes, thoughts, and dreams are unique. Even the face you make when you accidentally walk into a spider web is unique.
Want to stand out?
When you sit down to write, tap into what makes you… well, you.
Learn More: In my guest appearance on the Biz Mavens’ podcast, I discuss the importance of finding your unique voice and offer three writing exercises to help you find it.
2. Edit Like Crazy
Many first drafts are clumsy, sloppy, and difficult to read. This is true for most writers — even experienced, well-known ones.
So what separates the best writers from the masses?
Editing.
The hard part isn’t over once your first draft is complete; on the contrary, it’s only beginning.
To take your work to the next level, you need to spend just as much time editing your words as you do creating them.
It’s ruthless work. It’s kind of boring. But it’s vital.
Learn More: Proofreading: 7 Editing Tips That’ll Make You a Better Writer in 2020 will show you the editing secrets popular bloggers and writers don’t want you to know. And if you need some tools to help you, Grammarly and the Hemingway App are two good grammar checker options.
3. Supercharge Your Subheads
Most readers stick around for fewer than 15 seconds.
Heck, most will stick around for fewer than 5 seconds.
Why? Because readers are experts at scanning. They’ll click your headline, quickly scan your content, and — in only a few seconds — decide whether to stay or go.
Writing a great introduction is one way to convince readers to stick.
Another?
Write masterful subheads that create curiosity, hook your readers, and keep them on the page long enough to realize your content is worth reading.
Learn More: In The Ultimate Guide to Writing Irresistible Subheads, Gary Korisko shares the four ingredients of a killer subhead.
4. Write Like Superman (Or That Guy You Know Who Types Really Fast)
Whether you’re blogging, writing short stories, non-fiction novels you hope will become bestsellers, or a simple “free guide” you’ll offer readers on Amazon as a sample of your work; most of us are limited in the amount of time we have available to write.
So, if you want more time to write every day, you only have three options:
- Say goodbye to your family and lock yourself in your office;
- Invent a time machine;
- Learn how to write faster.
Your spouse and children won’t like the first option, and the second option requires plutonium.
But the third option? That’s doable.
Learn More: Want some actionable tactics to boost your writing speed? Check out Linda Formichelli’s How to Write Faster: 10 Crafty Ways to Hit 1,000 Words Per Hour.
5. Craft Irresistible Headlines
Smart Blogger’s CEO, Jon Morrow, recommends spending at least 20% of your time on the headline for your content.
That isn’t a typo.
If you spend 10 to 20 hours writing an article, 2 to 4 of those hours should be spent writing and re-writing the headline.
Why so many?
Because if your headline sucks, no one is going to give your content a chance.
In short:
Headlines are important. Get good at writing them.
Learn More: In How to Write a Blog Post in 2020: The Ultimate Guide, Liz Longacre goes over the 8 rules for crafting amazing headlines. And in 10 Ways to Exploit Human Nature and Write Amazingly Appealing Headlines Robert van Tongeren shares tips for writing irresistibly-clickable headlines.
6. Avoid Weak Words
Too many writers dilute their writing with weak, empty words that bring nothing to the table.
Worse?
They silently erode your reader’s attention — one flabby word at a time.
Spot these words and eliminate them from your writing.
Learn More: In 297 Flabby Words and Phrases That Rob Your Writing of All Its Power, Shane Authur shows you how to tone and trim your prose.
7. Write with Rhythm
You know short sentences and short paragraphs are your friends.
But that doesn’t mean every sentence and paragraph you write should be short.
Too many short paragraphs in a row and your writing will bore your readers. Too many long paragraphs in a row and you’ll overwhelm them.
So, mix things up.
Let the rhythm of your words dictate when each paragraph begins, and you’ll strike up the perfect balance between short paragraphs and long.
Learn More: In How to Write a Paragraph in 2020 (Yes, the Rules Have Changed), Mike Blankenship looks at why variation is important and offers a few rules of thumb to follow.
8. Kick Writer’s Block in the Buttocks
When you’ve been staring at a blank page for what feels like hours, writer’s block can seem insurmountable.
It’s not.
Savvy writers have a collection of tried-and-true techniques to bust out whenever writer’s block starts to rear its ugly head — techniques ranging from brisk walks to asking Alexa to play “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers.
If you want to be a better writer, find a writer’s block technique or two that works for you.
Learn More: Henneke Duistermaat has 27 refreshingly-original writer’s block techniques you can try. Pick a few favorites, and don’t be afraid to break glass in case of emergency.
9. Make Your Words Burst to Life in Readers’ Minds
If you aren’t using power words or sensory language in your writing, you’re missing out.
Smart writers and copywriters use power words to give their content extra punch, personality, and pizzazz. And great writers from Shakespeare to Stephen King use sensory words evoking sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell to paint strong scenes in the minds of their readers.
Both types of words are effective and super simple to use.
If you’re tired of lifeless words sitting on a page, try sprinkling power and sensory words throughout your content.
Learn More: Check out 600+ Power Words That Pack a Punch and Convert like Crazy and 581 Sensory Words to Take Your Writing from Bland to Brilliant. Besides being the definitive guides on their topics, they each offer huge, bookmarkable lists you can reference again and again.
10. Be Funny
Some writers won’t like this, but…
Your content can’t simply teach — it needs to entertain too.
Or, to put it bluntly:
If you don’t entertain while you inform, your audience will find a writer who does.
Thankfully, there are numerous ways you can make your content more interesting and entertaining.
The easiest way (and my favorite)? Sprinkle in a little humor.
Learn More: Marc Ensign’s How to Captivate Your Audience with Humor (Even If You Don’t Think You’re Funny) will show you how to be funny (without looking like you’re trying to be funny).
11. Write with Clarity
It doesn’t matter how amazing, profound, or revolutionary your ideas are, if you can’t express them in a clear, coherent way, you might as well have written them in an ancient language no one understands.
Ask yourself this question:
Could I explain my content to someone in one sentence?
If the answer is no, your work is probably too complex. It’s time to simplify.
Learn More: In 20 Rules for Writing So Crystal Clear Even Your Dumbest Relative Will Understand, Smart Blogger’s COO, Glen Long, shares his best tips for writing with clarity.
12. Master Transitional Words and Phrases
Do you want to keep your readers glued to your content?
Want your posts to be so effortless to read people can’t help but absorb every word as they glide down the page?
Experienced writers are meticulous about making each sentence flow seamlessly into the next, and they use transitional phrases to help make it happen.
If you want people to read your writing, from beginning to end, you need to do the same.
Learn More: Smart Blogger’s How to Use Transitional Words and Phrases to Make Your Writing Flow (with Examples) breaks down transitional phrases and how to use them to give audiences a smooth reading experience.
13. Learn SEO (Like a Boss)
Whether you write for yourself or as a hired hand, being able to create content that ranks on Google is a valuable skill.
(In fact, if you’re a freelance writer, companies and agencies will happily pay you extra for this skill.)
Consistently ranking on Google doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when you understand the basics of SEO — keyword research, user intent, UX signals, etc. — and purposefully create content with SEO in mind.
If you already know the basics of SEO, you have a leg up on the competition.
And if you don’t know the basics, you need to learn them.
The sooner, the better.
Learn More: Brian Dean of Backlinko has a thorough SEO resource list you should read. And if you’re a total beginner, my friends over at Ahrefs have a newbie-friendly SEO guide.
14. Sleep With Your Readers
Remember when I said subheads should create curiosity? This is a good example.
What keeps your audience awake at night? What has them tossing and turning at 2 o’clock in the morning?
Answer this question and then write about it.
Follow this one tip and you could (almost) ignore the rest.
Learn More: “Sleeping with readers” is one of the metaphor examples Jon used in his epic article, Copyblogger Editor Admits to Sleeping with Readers and Recommends You Do the Same. For more insight into why knowing what’s keeping your readers up at night is so important, give it a read.
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You Now Know How to Become a Better Writer (but Knowing’s Just Half the Battle)
Most who read this post will smile, nod their head in agreement, and implement precisely zero of these tips.
But not you.
You know knowledge that’s not put into practice is wasted. That’s why you’ve already picked out a few favorites, and it’s why you can’t wait to start writing.
On their own, none of these writing tips will catapult you to superstardom. But each of them, little by little, will help you hone your craft.
So, are you ready to be a better writer? Are you ready to get 5%, 10%, or 15% better? Ready to go from a good writer to a great one?
Then it’s time to get to work.
Let’s do this thing.
The post How to Become a Better Writer: 14 Tips to Up Your Writing Game in 2020 appeared first on Smart Blogger.