For each one of us writing comes as an extended, implausible thing to do. In the beginning, it almost feels like a forced attempt to express oneself, express feelings. Especially now, when writing has taken such a leap; virtually.
But for me, It’s more or less like committing myself to exercise. To explain myself better, I am going to draw similarities between physical health and good writing practices.
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YOGA |
WRITING |
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I started with researching upon the best asanas for my body type and then trying them out at home. And through incessantly probing the internet, I sadly discovered my fitness level to be: Beginner! |
I started researching all kinds of blogs online that gave me the confidence, perspective, and understanding of quality content. And offline, I scrambled through many libraries. |
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I set myself a schedule to practice Yoga every day in the morning. Waking up early was a challenge I had never thought of; |
I charted how to systematize and schedule writing content. I chose a topic, jotted down key elements of the article, drew a memory map of important facts that needed mentioning and lastly, the tone of voice. |
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To follow a routine is the most difficult task. Self – motivation doesn’t come easy. My reinforcement to doing Yoga was – “I want a slim waist to flaunt skinny jeans with my belly flashing through.” |
Self – motivation to write right, happens only with practice. I always make sure I am writing every day. Not only does it hone my skills to better express the topic in hand but also improves vocabulary. |
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I reached my goal soon enough! Because perseverance is the key to achieving the most difficult tasks. |
Well, with writing there are no measuring scales. I may write for years and still would be improvising. What keeps me going is readership engagement and feedback, at all times. |
If this analogy helps you tackle your writing dilemmas, I am more than happy to help. Check this list of tips to help you fight bad content writing techniques.
- Research
I thoroughly research the web, and books in the library for any given topic. Books are my go-to most of the times. At other times, I rely on my Kindle. Trust me, research helps! You will get to know how different people approach the topic you are planning to write. I recommend keeping a dictionary handy.
- List of words
This tip is not mine but of my elementary school teacher. She suggested always listing out keywords, adjectives and other words that can help with writing an article. For a single blog post, I jot down 50-60 unique words. This surely helps with writer’s block.
- The word count
Decide upon a word count. Writing can get very exhilarating, and sometimes having a word milestone can tackle overwhelming feelings. Especially when I reach the end of an article, I have a sense of accomplishment that my floating thoughts and expressions are finally in print! If I happen to cross the word limit, I am super happy with myself as I get more room to edit!
- Tone of voice
Resounds with consistency. A good writer ensures the tone of voice to be uniform throughout the article. And that’s because it improves the readability of the work.
- Proofreading
Check, check and check. I likely spot four to five errors and mistakes through each round of proofreading. As a rule of thumb, I proofread my article three times for errors. Later, when I think the article is good to go, I run it through Grammarly.
- Editing
Mostly, I spot a sentence or two which are amateurishly structured. So, editing and revising those bits improvises my prowess.
I hope this helps you tackle you content writing dilemmas. If you have further queries, drop an email at plushpenchants@gmail.com
If you have other tips that help you write better; share it in the comments box below.
Such a well-written article! I use the Grammarly extension for chrome too and it surely is a great way to check for errors. Being a newbie at blogging, I found these tips really useful. Thanks for sharing!
Definitely helpful! There is so much to learn. After reading I felt that ‘I want to read more’.
I see how the structure and flow is maintained.Interesting!