![place to write stuff place to write stuff](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e5/d7/07/e5d70763d50e2e4148faa32c1901b2ef.jpg)
When I was a neophyte writer, someone showed me how prepositional phrases made my writing unnecessarily wordy and complex. Start practicing these tips to improve your writing skills. It keeps our writing conversational (more on that in a moment.) But rambling, wordy writing makes your text hard to read, and it can make you sound as though you lack conviction. We sometimes write like we talk, and that can be a good thing. If you find yourself getting in the weeds with more details than you need, look at each piece of information and ask whether it’s essential to help your reader understand your message. The idea is to give readers just enough to understand what you’re communicating without overwhelming them with trivial details.
![place to write stuff place to write stuff](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KZpcmIZ19wY/TXVZHogz6oI/AAAAAAAAAh0/gf5PwTWDQCI/s1600/IMG_6260.jpg)
If you’ve taken the time to organize your thoughts in advance, you should be able to keep things simple. Do they have enough context to understand what you’ve written for them? If not, fill in the blanks. Improving writing involves putting yourself in your readers’ shoes. Making an outline, or even just some quick notes about the topics you want to cover, can save you time answering clarifying questions later. It doesn’t take much thought-organizing to compose the average text message, but if you’re writing something more complex, with multiple angles, questions, or requests, get all that stuff sorted before you sit down to write. Before you dive into writing, have a clear purpose. (We all have one, don’t we?) If your writing goal is to achieve a specific result, ask yourself what that result should be. Make sure you’re clear on the concepts you’re writing about.Īlbert Einstein said, “If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself.” Before you start writing, take a moment to mentally explain the concept to the six-year-old who lives inside your head. It’s fine to rattle off a stream of consciousness when you’re writing in your journal, but if you actually want to communicate with others you’ll need to bring some order to those rambling thoughts.
![place to write stuff place to write stuff](https://memeguy.com/photos/images/interesting-place-to-put-that-kind-of-stuff-400447.jpg)
Now, to improve writing is just a matter of becoming conscious of the things you can do to give your text more structure and make your copy crisp and readable with a conversational style. Make it easy for the person to respond-tell him or her exactly what can be done to accommodate your request, and do everything within your power so that the request can be granted (e.g., if you are asking for a letter of recommendation, include your résumé or a list of accomplishments and a stamped, addressed envelope).So, you’re already writing.Invite the person to contact you if he or she has any questions or concerns, and thank him or her for taking the time to consider your request.Express your willingness to reciprocate the kindness or favor.Strive to make the person feel complimented that you would ask the favor of him or her. Avoid the temptation to apologize for your request.Don't hem and haw around the issue-be straightforward, and include as much detail as necessary to clearly convey your request.Put the reader at ease, and help her or him feel that responding will not be burdensome. Be particularly courteous and tactful when writing this letter, as requests are generally an imposition on another's time and/or resources or talents.Award-Winning, Nationally Recognized Writer