How To Write Effectively

We all know that you only get one chance to make a first impression. Given the importance of written communication in making first impressions, writing well is a very important skill which everyone should learn from an early age. Writing well is more than merely knowing proper punctuation and grammar; it is also the art of being able to work with the nuances which are made possible by the richness of the English language.

You will be using your writing skills to make first impressions for the rest of your life, from simple e-mail correspondences to letters and business proposals and documents. You wouldn’t write out your resume in SMS text abbreviations.

Here are some proven tips and techniques to writing well and writing for clarity.

1) Have your audience in mind before you commit words to paper. What does your audience already know about the subject? You shouldn’t have to repeat the basics of how to turn on an oven for someone who’s an experienced cook, for example. On the other hand, writing a set of instructions for auto repair or how to diagnose a computer problem should start from the very basics and work their way up. 2) When you write, listen to the advice your high school composition teacher gave you. Work from a theme, know how the piece will end, and write from beginning to end before worrying about rewriting. Start from the most important topic and work to your conclusion. 3) When you do a rewrite, don’t be afraid to throw the first few hundred words out. It is a very common tendency among beginning writers to use the first four hundred to a thousand words of text on anything as the authorial equivalent of clearing your throat.

Habits to avoid:

After you have finished and rewritten your piece, then do a find and replace for *ly.* is the wild card character telling your word processor to find and replace and word ending in “ly”. You can replace this with a word you would not be using in your piece; turnip, for instance. If your sentences work without this adjectival form, then leave the word out entirely. Otherwise, find a better adjective.

When possible, always write in the active voice. Remember, show; don’t tell. For example: “Brooke ran from her pursuers as fast as she could, her heart racing, as her mind sought any means to evade capture.” This is the active voice. And: “Running, Brooke’s heart raced as she attempted to evade her pursuers.” That would be the passive voice - active definitely reads better and is more likely to attract and retain the attention of your reader.

After all of your rewriting, read your piece to yourself out loud. There is no better way to identify an awkward sentence than this. With enough practice at this technique, you will be able to hear the piece in your head as you write - this technique will bring about a vast improvement in your writing.

Writing well is a sadly neglected skill. It is hardly taught anymore, but all of the tips given here used to be commonplace instruction taught beginning in junior high, where they belong - rather than in college courses where they are encountered now.

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