Here at PaperHelp, writing is the love of our life. We enjoy the art, the craft, and the lifestyle. Yet, we also believe that everyone can use being better at writing because writing isn’t going anywhere. If anything, it only grows in importance since people decided to detest phone calls unanimously and ardently all of a sudden. Whether you want to produce snappy messages, professional emails, excellent college papers, riveting novels, or mesmerizing sales copy – we’ve got you covered. Here are some tips on becoming a better writer in each domain.
How to Become a Good Writer: Essay, Report, and Other Academic Papers
Academic writing doesn’t come easily to anyone. Being logical and consistent in one’s writing is a bigger challenge for some than for others, but being absolutely objective and neutral is sort of against human nature itself. Therefore, becoming a writer in academia takes discipline – first and foremost. However, how to become a better academic writer beyond that? What other qualities should you foster?
Assertiveness
This is the first component of your success mix. For people to notice your article and be interested in reading it through, you must be convinced of the importance of what you have to say. State it with confidence. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you can get away with unsubstantiated claims and sweeping statements. No. You must build your arguments on evidence and logic. However, be arrogant enough to believe that your contribution to the discourse is valuable. Your conclusions might be proved wrong in the future, but you have brought this brick to pave the way for those who will know better. Be proud of it.
Intellectual humility
This tip on how to be a better essay writer might feel counterintuitive after the previous one. Still, it’s the combination of both that wins. Assertiveness grabs the attention, but it’s the humility that makes sure you deliver on the promise. It is the self-doubt that makes you ponder over your assertions, turn them this way and that, look for flaws in your arguments, research, and verify diligently.
A healthy dose of intellectual humility will ensure your contribution is a solid, sturdy thing. It will make you care enough about your writing to do your legwork properly and offer something of value to your readers in return for their attention. No one says that you must only publish great discoveries that upend our understanding of whatever you are studying. However, you should offer an addition to the knowledge in the field, a new angle to look at the known facts, etc.
Of course, too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Your humility and your assertiveness must balance each other out. Otherwise, you can end up being too vague and indecisive about what you are actually trying to say. Too many refutations, allowances, and ifs – and you’ve lost your reader. Too much hubris and self-importance – and your unavoidable mistakes won’t be forgiven but left at the pillory for the academic community to abuse.
Know the ropes
We have lots of materials on how to become a good essay writer. They usually go into technical details for each particular type of essay but generally come down to a handful of self-evident things: do your research carefully, plan and outline, stick with the 5 paragraph structure, edit carefully, and so on. You are probably sick and tired of this advice, but here is the thing. It is so ubiquitous because it works.
Yes, it’s boring, but there is no way around it. Doing thorough research consistently results in a better essay than just skimming through a couple Wikipedia pages. Producing your thesis at the beginning provides your audience with a sense of purpose and direction. Wrapping it up with a well-rounded conclusion gives them a satisfying feeling of closure. A good hook pulls them in. Transition words lead them by the hand and make your text magnetic. Make a checklist and run through it every time you write an essay or an article until you internalize this stuff.
How to Become a Professional Writer
Here are a few tips on how to be a professional writer. They deal more with the mindset than with the craft itself since the latter is too vast of a subject to cover in a blog post section. For more advice on literary mastery, turn to online courses by your favorite writers or professionals working in the same genre as you intend to. Here we can only brief you on what it takes to start off.
Know your audience
The first thing you should decide is who your audience will be. Even if your idea for a book is something deep and meaningful, something to change the world with, there is cold pragmatism of the market to take into account. Novels or blogs – your writing is a product to sell. Before you even start producing it, you must identify how you will pack it and for whom.
You don’t have to be clinical about it. Think about what books you would enjoy and why. For example, a historical romance that is a bit more realistic and rooted in actual events of the past instead of using them merely as a backdrop? Or children’s horror stories that aren’t cartoonish but explore real fears and how to deal with them? Maybe you are not alone, and there is a niche for these stories waiting to be discovered.
Show up at the desk
Too many aspiring writers never transition to being published authors because they are waiting. Waiting for the right time. For a sign. For financial stability. For kids to go to college. Instead, you must just start. Decide that from now on, you will write at least one page a day. Set yourself deadlines. Participate in NaNoWriMo. Promise your friends to deliver a ghost story by Halloween – and commit. Show up at the desk every day and work. You don’t have to quit your day job or anything drastic like that, but you must write regularly and start now. As Pablo Picasso once said, “Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.”
Promotion is a part of the job
As a professional writer, you will also have to promote your book. If you plan to self-publish, then prepare to devote a decent portion of your time to it. You will need to build a following on social media, be present, and engage your audience. Every self-published author who earns a living from sales will tell you that selling is a full-time job.
However, even if you are lucky enough to be noticed and accepted by a publisher, you will still have to participate in your book’s promotion. That will involve preorder calls on your social media channels, signing sessions, Q&As with readers, and so on. If you thought you can pull a Salinger and still become successful today, let me disappoint you – it’s highly unlikely.
How to Become Better at Writing as a Layman
Even if you do not write for a living, being better at it can improve your job prospects. Your writing is the first impression you make with cover letters and outreach. Your eloquence on the applications is what gets you admission to programs and promotions. Your persuasive power is what gets your projects funded. Being good at writing is an asset, and you should work on building it. Here is how:
Writing challenge
Write consistently for 30 days straight, and you will see your skills improving. Set aside 30 minutes a day to write about work-related issues, challenges you face, conflicts that arise in the workplace, etc. This will seamlessly expand your vocabulary, make your style more elegant, and boost your confidence.
Keep a journal
This might seem similar to the previous tip, but journaling is quite another kettle of fish. The style is different, and the benefits are more profound for your overall wellbeing. Keeping a journal will not only make you more articulate. It will help you to be more mindful and emotionally healthy. Vent about your feelings, conflicts, and problems you have. It will give you a distance to analyze it all, see it from another perspective, and even reveal and acknowledge the feeling and fears you didn’t know they had.
Read more
Every list of tips from a renowned writer starts or ends with this advice. Read avidly, familiarize yourself with the works of the best, take in different styles, admire, and analyze. It’s okay to emulate your idols while you are still fumbling about for your own voice.
Get Editing on Every Writing Level
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