Expressing your thoughts in writing is never easy.

That’s why we’ve gathered 5 tips on how to be a better writer:

1. Read a lot

To be a better writer, you must be comfortable with different writing styles – narrative, descriptive, expository and persuasive. It definitely helps to pick books and articles on topics you are interested in, but don’t get too picky. Some topics-of-interest like entrepreneurship generally follow an expository writing style and being selective can limit your exposure to other forms of writing.

2. Draw inspiration from what you read

As you read, you may find yourself captivated by certain phrases used by the writer. Rather than skipping over these sentences, keep a notebook nearby and write down these phrases for future reference.

The next time you’re experiencing a writer’s block, open your notebook and go through the compilation of phrases and sentences. You’ll find that it helps to stimulate the mind in generating new ideas for your writing piece.

3. Find the ideal writing environment

Some people find that they write best in complete silence. Others like writing with some background noise. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try writing at different places before you find the ideal location.

4. Plan before you write

Writing without a structure is like driving without a destination in mind. It leads to confusion and frustration as you are trying to figure out what to do next.

It helps to start defining what topic you want to write about, followed by the sub-headers and the points you want to highlight in these paragraphs. The initial planning stage can take up a lot of time, especially when more research has to be done to back up your claims, but that should be the least of your worries. Once your structure has been established, writing will be much easier.

5. Get feedback

Set your ego aside and get a friend or family member to look through your written work. Better yet, get a fellow writer to give you some constructive feedback.

Every person has their own preferred style of writing they like to read, so there is a chance that your style may not appeal to them initially.

Take this as an opportunity to find out if your phrasing needs improvement if you are using too much technical jargon, or any other criticism about your work. It will not be easy, but your writing can only get better from there.

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