How best to improve your writing?

I’ve been writing consistently for well over a year now.

Which was preceded with another year-ish of consistent writing as well.

So you might say that I am an expert in this new writing thing that hasn’t even been around longer than the internet.

All joking aside, I’m still very much a newb, rookie, or greenhorn when it comes to writing.

That being said, I’ve taken a few steps to improve my writing that I want to share with you.

These tips aren’t for everyone. If you’re an academic or compiling a major work to publish, you’re better than I am. Thank you for reading this far, it’s truly an honor to have you. But these words aren’t for you.

Frankly, these tips are bits of advice that I wish I knew sooner.

1. Write how you talk.
   1. There is a proper and formal way of writing, that has a very specific tone. It’s not difficult to sniff out, we’ve all come across it before. The problem is that after our discovery, we wake up having drooled on our keyboard because we fell asleep instantly. It’s a bad joke, but you get the point. Your writing should speak the same way that you do.
2. Keep it short and sweet.
   1. Avoid run on sentences and lengthy paragraphs. If three words will do instead of 12, use the three words. You’re not writing to demonstrate your grasp and understanding of complex terms in the English language/your field of study. You’re writing to appeal to other people who likely don’t have the same background and area of expertise as you.
3. Read more BLOGS.
   1. Why did it take me such a long time to explore other peoples blogs. I’ll admit, I did look at other blogs…but only a handful (3 max). I did a great disservice by narrowing my focus on just a handful of blogs that I liked/loved. Get out there and explore the world wide web of blogs. There are hundreds of podcast guests that I’ve listened to that have a blog I should go look at. This is borderline research and development. I’m just looking for some blogging inspiration and ideas. Other peoples (often successful) blogs are a great place to start!