How to Improve Writing Skills

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Instructions

Things You'll Need:

 Computer
 AP Stylebook
 Thesaurus
 Dictionary
 Books on writing

1. Step 1

Read books on writing as well as other work by other writers. Most strong writers are
avid readers as well. Reading enhances vocabulary, gives insight to other writing styles
and techniques and keeps creativity flowing.

2. Step 2

Enroll in classes and workshops to develop your craft. Not only will you learn new
methods, but you can network and make contact with other writers as well.

3. Step 3

Proof and edit carefully. Proofreading and editing are essential to good, solid writing.
First drafts are rarely going to be your final version.

4. Step 4

Solicit feedback from a trusted friend or colleague. It will help to have a different
perspective. Develop thick skin and use constructive criticism and advice to improve
your skills.

5. Step 5

Use resources such as a thesaurus, dictionary and AP Stylebook. These are standard
writing tools that every writer should have.

6. Step 6

Keep writing. Any writer will tell you that the key to writing is to write every day, even
when you don't feel like it.
How to Write Well (The Basics)
Writing is a fundamental skill that most everyone will need at some point in life. This article provides
some basic strategies for improving writing skills.

Instructions

1. Step 1

INCREASE YOUR VOCABULARY.

Many people that desire to write well can benefit from taking advantage of opportunities
to increase their vocabulary. Aside from reading the dictionary page for page, there are
everyday opportunities for increasing vocabulary, such as crossword puzzles, board
games like scrabble, etc. Also in this electronic age, it is possible to have the "word of the
day" emailed to you. For those who are in an academic setting, it is important to do your
vocabulary homework-use those vocabulary words in a sentence like your teacher tells
you (laugh out loud)!!!

2. Step 2

READ.

Yes. Reading should be in the section above because it does facilitate vocabulary
expansion. However, it is so important; it deserves its own section. There is tons of
information and scientific data that indicate that reading enhances writing skills. Reading
essentially allows for seeing words in action and it also promotes creative thinking
(another important factor in improving writing skills). Since most published books are
professionally edited, reading also provides some of the best examples of proper
grammar use. Now, this is not to say that reading should be a chore. One should consider
books or other reading materials of interest. However, this freedom does not apply in
academic settings where literature is assigned. However, these are also great
opportunities for improving your writing -WITHOUT ACTUALLY WRITING.

3. Step 3

TAKE A WRITING CLASS.

For those pursuing general education or college degrees, some type of English class is
probably required. Take those grammar and writing assignments seriously. You may not
have to write 10 page papers in the real world (unless you choose a profession where this
volume of writing is expected), but you might have to write a thank you note, create a
resume, correspond with colleagues through email, write a letter of resignation, etc. For
those that are not enrolled in such classes, consider enrolling in a class locally or even
online. The internet is full of sites offering online writing help and selected writing
activities based on age or grade level. Do some searches and you'll likely find something
helpful.
4. Step 4

WRITE. WRITE. WRITE....AND DID I SAY WRITE?

People that desire to write better should.....write! This could be in the form of a personal
journal. It could really be about any topic. In school, teachers love to have students write
about what-YES, their summer vacation or spring break! While teachers really may be
interested in these topics, they understand that in order to write well, it is important to
practice. Look for opportunities to write and don't get frustrated if you get stuck. As you
practice, it will get easier.

5. Step 5

GET FEEDBACK FROM OTHERS ABOUT YOUR WRITING SKILLS.

If you're in school, the red ink pen will do this for you (or "insert comment" if your
teacher grades electronically)! For those who are not in school, consider having a trusted
friend review your writing. Also, there are online sites that will allow you to submit
online writing samples for critique. DON'T FORGET ABOUT GRAMMAR CHECK ON
MICROSOFT WORD. This feature will alert you (with colored lines) when you have
used incorrect grammar. Don't ignore them. Look at the explanation. This should help
improve your writing skills.
How to improve writing skills with writing exercises
Question no more how to improve your writing skills! You will be
able to stretch your imagination and your use of words with these
five writing exercises that explore description and metaphors.
 
I take writing classes and workshops whenever I can. It's so easy to get stuck in a rut, but when
you have someone dishing out writing assignments, you're forced to pull yourself out. Here are 5
exercises I've done over the years. Stretch yourself!

1) Take a mediocre, horrible or fabulous piece of your writing. It doesn't need to be long, just writing. Go
through it and look for non-descript words, such as 'nice', 'beautiful' and 'wonderful'. List these words,
and detail what they are actually supposed to be describing.

A nice outfit - Nice means as many things as there are people! Does nice mean green or blue?
Cotton or polyester? A skirt or pants? Matching or eclectic?

A beautiful day - Some folks like rain, some love the sun. Are there clouds? Is it morning or
evening? Is it a day to lounge at home or go out and socialize? What constitutes a beautiful day?
Beauty? What's that?

You can see by these examples that non-descript words rob your writing of what makes it unique
- you!

2) This is one of my favorites. I came across it as I was studying metaphors. On the left side of
the page, list tangible nouns. Ocean, flood, steam shovel, cinder block, spoon. On the right side of
the page, list intangible nouns. Respect, desire, hunger, flight. Now combine them in a phrase like
this:

'a of '. Examples would be 'an ocean of respect', a spoonful of desire'. Let yourself get carried
away with this, and you will come up with some very powerful images.

3) Open up a dictionary. Choose a word and write about it for 10 minutes, non-stop. Choose
another word and do the same. Choose a third and write 10 more minutes. Although you have
three different words, there may be a common thread running through them. Look for it. The day
I did this, the rainy weather permeated my three pieces of random writing. If a thread is not there,
try and connect these three separate pieces of writing.

4) Make a list about something. Choose something ordinary and make a list of things about it or
related to it. Do it off the top of your head, taking just 10 minutes or so. Now read it. You will
feel a rhythm to it after a few lines, and it will sound poetic. If you make a list about a kiss or love
or flowers, you may have a sweet poem when you're done.

The class I did this in listed a yard sale. Sounds dull? It was actually very interesting to hear what
everyone had to say about a yard sale, the contents, the seller, the other buyers, the type of day it
was and so on. A yard sale is not dull subject matter!

5) Find a picture in a magazine. Make sure it interests you. Look this picture over carefully for
just a minute and write about it for at least 10 minutes. Describe the detail, the light, the subject
matter. Are there people? What are they thinking? How did they get there? Who are they? You
could do the traditional 'Who What When Where Why' routine. You'll be surprised at how much
you can see in a picture when you have to!

These are just a few exercises to keep your creativity flowing. You can enhance them by doing
them with your writing friends, too. It's entertaining and enlightening to hear how others respond
to the same exercises. Don't be afraid to try a class or a workshop, either! Good luck and have
fun!

IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS

Improving writing skills is easy with these techniques.

Having good writing skills can be very useful at times. If you are a student it will be helpful when you are
writing a research paper or thesis and for aspiring writers it will be an essential quality. Some could
naturally have good writing skills while some may lack it. If you ever feel that you can never gain good
writing skills, you are wrong. Everyone can attain quality-writing skills if they try. Here are some helpful
tips to improve your writing skills.

Write - Write something each day. If you don’t practice you won’t gain anything. This is very true in the
art of writing. You have to keep on writing to brush up your skills. But if you are wondering on what to
write about, not to worry as I can give you some ideas. You can write about an incident that happened
to you or about anything interesting that caught your eye when you were walking on the street. But if
nothing interesting happened while you were strolling, get creative and think of anything to write. It
doesn’t matter what you write as long as you attempt to write something.

Take courses - Courses can give you a good guidance to writing. With the rapid growth of on-line courses
you can even opt for an on-line creative writing course. Most of the on-line courses would be short and
if you are a novice at writing it would be more advisable to pick a classroom course where you can
interact with the lecturer.

Join newsgroups – Newsgroups can be very helpful for you as the members can give you advice. By
joining a writing newsgroup you could be interacting with the members who could be experienced
writers. By sharing information and tips on the craft of writing the experience of joining a newsgroup is
interesting and useful.

Subscribe to newsletters- If you ever come across a website where they offer useful writing tips and
information for improving your writing, it would be wise to subscribe for their newsletter. Subscribing to
newsletters is free and you will get loads of information through the useful articles.

Criticism - Write something and allow it to be read by a critic. If you always write but never show it to
someone to read and edit the article, you might not be able to spot the mistakes in that piece of writing.
Once you have written the article, proofread the article and check it for errors. Then get a critic (it would
be great if the person is an experienced critic) to comment on your work. This would enable the person
to give you feedback on your work and at the same time you can learn how good is your standard of
writing. Even if your first article gets a lot of criticism do not lose heart. Take the experience as a learning
one and remember not to make the same mistakes again.

Read - Reading is another way to help you. You could go to the library to search for books on writing.
You can read the non-fiction books on how to improve your writing as such books would guide you along
on the essential steps on writing well. Apart from non-fiction books you could also read fiction books of
a wide range of categories. This would allow you to observe the styles of various authors and would be
helpful to you in the future if you decide to write a novel yourself.

http://www.essortment.com/all/howtoimprovew_rgka.htm

How To Improve Your Writing Skills - Improve Writing Skills, Organize

and Clarify

By Ann Logsdon, About.com Guide

See More About:

 improving writing grades

 essay writing
 learning disabilities in writing
Dad Helps Daughter Write

Writing Skills Photo by Getty Images

You can improve your writing skills! Whether you have a learning disability in writing or just want to
improve your writing grades, learning how to follow this basic essay writing method will improve your
writing.

The Three Point Five Paragraph Essay:

1. Tells readers what about the topic you intend to show or prove;
2. Explains three main supporting ideas that prove your argument or support your position; and
3. Summarizes the main point, supporting ideas, and reinforces your conclusions about the topic.

Try these worksheets to help:

 Thought Organizer
 Essay Planner

Time Required: Improve Your Writing Skills in about One Hour - Writing Skills Improvement
Here's How:

1. Improving Your Writing Skills - Understanding Your Writing Assignment

What is a Three Point Five Paragraph Paper? A three point five paragraph paper, also
called a 3.5 paper, is a type of essay that includes five paragraphs and three main ideas, or
points:

1. The first paragraph is an introduction.

2. The second, third, and fourth paragraphs each include one main point or idea.
3. The final paragraph is a conclusion.

2. Improving Your Writing Skills - Why Write a Three Point Five Paragraph Paper?

1. A 3.5 paper is a type of essay that organizes and presents your topic in a clear, well-
supported, and complete way.
2. You can use this form of writing for many types of assignments such as:
 Classroom homework assignments;
 Essay tests and examinations;
  Articles for the school or local newspaper;
 Presentations using PowerPoint or other slide show software;
 Speeches and Oral Presentations;
 Poster presentations for science fairs or other academic presentations; and
 Workplace assignments for papers or presentations on the job.

o Improve Writing with Pre-writing Tasks

As with any type of writing project, performing pre-writing tasks is an important first
step:

1. Get clear instructions from your teacher, and check your understanding with her.
2. Ask if there are handouts on the assignment or a rubric explaining how the assignment
will be scored.
3. Ask for a sample 3.5 paper your teacher thinks is a good example. Teachers may not
always do this, but if a sample is available, it can give you important information on
what kind of writing your teacher considers good work. Use it as inspiration, but never
copy anyone else's writing.

o Thinking About and Research Your Topic Improves Your Writing

1. List your thoughts about the topic in brief sentences. Write at least twelve sentences on
separate index cards. To get started, use these questions to get your thoughts going:
 What do you already know about the topic?
 What does your teacher think is important about it?
 What does your textbook or the media say about it?
 What would most people want to know about the topic?
2. Read your sentences, and think about how they can be grouped. Combine your
sentences into three main groups.

Try this printable worksheet to help you think about your topic.

2. Improve Writing by Organizing Your Ideas in Groups

Look for relationships between your ideas, and identify three main groups. Examples:

1. A time sequence such as first, second, and third events;

2. Three social studies themes such as political, social, and economic influences;
3. A shift in focus from how your topic affects one person, a community, and a nation;
4. Development of a piece of art from an idea, to creation, to its impact on the art world;
and
5. Background research on a science project, design of the project, and analysis of results.

Separate your index cards into three piles, one for each main idea.

o Analyze and Organize for Better Writing

 1. Working with one stack of cards at a time, organize the cards into logical order within
each pile.
2. Order the piles in the sequence you will use them in the paper. Examples of order:
 Temporal order as in which came first, second, and third in time;
 Order of importance as in least important, more important, and most important
idea;
 Order of construction as in the foundation, main parts, and finishing touches; or
 Other order that makes sense for your unique topic.

Now you're ready to begin writing the three paragraphs that will form the body of your paper.

2. Write the First Draft of Each Paragraph

Working with one stack at a time, write each paragraph on a separate piece of paper:

1. Write using the sentences you created in your first stack.

2. As you write, feel free to make small edits, such as choosing more descriptive words or
the correcting the wrong tense.
3. Include any important new ideas you think of as you write.
4. Exclude any sentences that no longer seem to fit.
5. When you've finished with the first paragraph, write the second and third following the
same steps.

Try this printable worksheet to help you organize your ideas.

3. Develop the Introduction Paragraph

Many students find that writing the essay's introduction after the main points are
developed is much easier because it enables you to focus your writing. Your introduction
should include at least two parts:

1. A sentence stating the main purpose or idea your essay will address
2. One to three sentences that briefly introduce the three main supporting points that will
prove, support, or justify the main idea of the paper.

4. Develop the Closing Paragraph

The conclusion paragraph should be a brief restating of your introduction should include
at least two parts:

1. A sentence that reminds your reader of the main purpose or idea your essay addressed;
and
2. A sentence that briefly reminds readers that your three points proves your main idea or
shows that your position is correct.

5. Final Editing
 As you work toward the final version of your paper:

1. Ask your teacher if you can submit a draft for your teacher to make suggestions for
improvement that you can use in your final version;
2. Ask a parent, another student, or a friend to read your paper and offer suggestions; and
as always,
3. check spelling, word use, and your teacher's input to make final revisions.

Tips:

1. You can adapt these steps using a computer or word processor if that is the way you prefer to
write.
2. Writing on paper with pencils, however, helps some students reflect more on the content of
their essays.
3. Not an index card kind of person? Check out this easy-to-use, one sheet essay planning tool. This
printable worksheet makes it easy for students to keep track of the main topics of each
paragraph and to organize supporting facts. The worksheet serves as a guide to keep students
on-track and on topic when writing their essays.

What You Need:

 Lined index cards

 Paper for draft copies
 Your favorite writing instruments

FOUR TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR WRITING SKILLS

AND HOW TO AVOID COMMON MISTAKES

Below are some basic writing rules, along with an example of the rule being broken. Learn how
to avoid these common mistakes.

1. Be Consistent

Sequence of Tenses After he broke his arm, he is home for two weeks.

Shift of Pronoun If one is tense, they should try to relax.

Parallelism She skis, plays tennis, and flying hang gliders.

Noun Agreement Eric and James want to be a pilot.

Pronoun Reference Several people wanted the job, and he or she filled out the required
 applications.

Subject-Verb Agreement There is eight people on the shore.

2. Express Ideas Logically

Coordination and
Jen has a rash, and she is probably allergic to something.
Subordination

Logical Comparison Joey grew more vegetables than his neighbor's garden.

Modification and Word Order Barking loudly, the tree had the dog's leash wrapped around it.

3. Be Clear and Precise

Ambiguous and Vague

In the newspaper they say that few people voted.
Pronouns

Diction He circumvented the globe on his trip.

Wordiness There are many problems in the contemporary world in which we live.

If your car is parked here while not eating in the restaurant, it will be
Improper Modification
towed away.

4. Follow Conventions

Pronoun Case He sat between you and I at the stadium.

Idiom Jack had a different opinion towards him.

Comparison of Modifiers Of the sixteen executives, Gretchen makes more money.

Sentence Fragment Abby having to go home early.

Double Negative Andie has scarcely no free time.

If you're not sure whether you're following the rules of writing correctly, be sure to ask your
teachers or parents for help.

Writing Skills
Getting Your Written Message Across Clearly

A colleague has just sent you an email relating to a meeting you're having in one hour's time. The
email is supposed to contain key information that you need to present, as part of the business
case for an important project.
But there's a problem: The email is so badly written that you can't find the data you need. There
are misspellings and incomplete sentences, and the paragraphs are so long and confusing that it
takes you three times more than it should to find the information you want.

As a result, you're under-prepared for the meeting, and it doesn't go as well as you want it to.

Have you ever faced a situation similar to this? In today's information overload world, it's vital to
communicate clearly, concisely and effectively. People don't have time to read book-length
emails, and they don't have the patience to scour badly-constructed emails for "buried" points.

The better your writing skills are, the better the impression you'll make on the people around you
– including your boss, your colleagues, and your clients. You never know how far these good
impressions will take you!

In this article, we'll look at how you can improve your writing skills and avoid common
mistakes.

Audience and Format

The first step to writing clearly is choosing the appropriate format. Do you need to send an
informal email? Write a detailed report? Create advertising copy? Or write a formal letter?

The format, as well as your audience, will define your "writing voice" – that is, how formal or
relaxed the tone should be. For instance, if you write an email to a prospective client, should it
have the same tone as an email to a friend?

Definitely not.

Start by identifying who will read your message. Is it targeted at senior managers, the entire
human resources team, or a small group of engineers? With everything you write, your readers,
or recipients, should define your tone as well as aspects of the content.

Composition and Style

Once you know what you're writing, and for whom you're writing, you actually have to start
writing.

A blank, white computer screen is often intimidating. And it's easy to get stuck because you don't
know how to start. Try these tips for composing and styling your document:

 Start with your audience – Remember, your readers may know nothing about what you're
telling them. What do they need to know first?

 Create an outline – This is especially helpful if you're writing a longer document such as a
report, presentation, or speech. Outlines help you identify which steps to take in which order,
and they help you break the task up into manageable pieces of information.
  Use AIDA – If you're writing something that must inspire action in the reader, follow the
Attention-Interest-Desire-Action (AIDA) formula. These four steps can help guide you through
the writing process.

 Try some empathy – For instance, if you're writing a sales letter for prospective clients, why
should they care about your product or sales pitch? What's the benefit for them? Remember
your audience's needs at all times.

 Use the Rhetorical Triangle – If you're trying to persuade someone to do something, make sure
that you communicate why people should listen to you, pitch your message in a way that
engages your audience, and present information rationally and coherently. Our article on the
Rhetorical Triangle can help you make your case in the most effective way.

 Identify your main theme – If you're having trouble defining the main theme of your message,
pretend that you have 15 seconds to explain your position. What do you say? This is likely to be
your main theme.

 Use simple language – Unless you're writing a scholarly article, it's usually best to use simple,
direct language. Don't use long words just to impress people.

Structure

Your document should be as "reader friendly" as possible. Use headings, subheadings, bullet
points, and numbering whenever possible to break up the text.

After all, what's easier to read – a page full of long paragraphs, or a page that's broken up into
short paragraphs, with section headings and bullet points? A document that's easy to scan will
get read more often than a document with long, dense paragraphs of text.

Headers should grab the reader's attention. Using questions is often a good idea, especially in
advertising copy or reports, because questions help keep the reader engaged and curious.

In emails and proposals, use short, factual headings and subheadings, like the ones in this article.

Adding graphs and charts is also a smart way to break up your text. These visual aids not only
keep the reader's eye engaged, but they can communicate important information much more
quickly than text.

Grammatical Errors

You probably don't need us to tell you that errors in your document will make you look
unprofessional. It's essential to learn grammar properly, and to avoid common mistakes that your
spell checker won't find.

Here are some examples of commonly misused words:

 Affect/effect
  "Affect" is a verb meaning to influence. (Example: The economic forecast will affect our
projected income.)
 "Effect" is a noun meaning the result or outcome. (Example: What is the effect of the
proposal?)

 Then/than

 "Then" is typically an adverb indicating a sequence in time. (Example: We went to

dinner, then we saw a movie.)
 "Than" is a conjunction used for comparison. (Example: The dinner was more expensive
than the movie.)

 Your/you're

 "Your" is a possessive. (Example: Is that your file?)

 "You're" is a contraction of "you are." (Example: You're the new manager.)
 Note: Also watch out for other common homophones (words that sound alike but have
different spellings and meanings) – such as their/they're/there, to/too/two, and so on.
 Its/it's

 "Its" is a possessive. (Example: Is that its motor?)

 "It's" is a contraction of "It is." (Example: It's often that heavy.) (Yes, it is this way
around!)

 Company's/companies (and other possessives versus plurals)

 "Company's" indicates possession. (Example: The company's trucks hadn't been

maintained properly.)
 "Companies" is plural. (Example: The companies in this industry are suffering.)

To learn more about commonly misused words, misused apostrophes, and other grammatical
errors, take our Bite-Sized Training session on Written Communication.

Tip:
Some of your readers – arguably an increasing number – won't be
perfect at spelling and grammar. They may not notice if you make
these errors. But don't use this as an excuse: there will usually be
people, senior managers in particular, who WILL notice!

Because of this, everything you write should be of a quality that

every reader will find acceptable.

Proofing

The enemy of good proofreading is speed. Many people rush through their documents, but this is
how you miss mistakes. Follow these guidelines to check what you've written:
  Proof your headers and subheaders – People often skip these and focus on the text alone. Just
because headers are big and bold doesn't mean they're error free!

 Read the document out loud – This forces you to go more slowly, so that you're more likely to
catch mistakes.

 Use your finger to follow text as you read – This is another trick that helps you slow down.

 Start at the end of your document – Proofread one sentence at a time, working your way from
the end to the beginning. This helps you focus on errors, not on content.

Key Points

More than ever, it's important to know how to communicate your point quickly and
professionally. Many people spend a lot of time writing and reading, so the better you are at this
form of communication, the more successful you're likely to be.

Identify your audience before you start creating your document. And if you feel that there's too
much information to include, create an outline to help organize your thoughts. Learning
grammatical and stylistic techniques will also help you write more clearly; and be sure to proof
the final document. Like most things, the more you write, the better you're going to be!

http://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/WritingSkills.htm

How to Improve Your Writing Skills

originated by:Erica, Ben Rubenstein, Anonymous, Andy Zhang (see all)

Article Edit Discuss View History

Thinking about becoming the next Ernest Hemingway? Or Stephen King? It takes a great deal of
practice, planning, experience of the world and talent. A good reader is a good writer. Read
classics and quality newspapers. Try to contribute to newspapers of your school or community.

Steps

1. 1

Write down ideas for your writing, subtitles, or even topic. (It's best to do all of this unless
you're given a topic!)

Narrow down your list to unimportant facts and details so you have your set planned.

2. 3

Write an outline by listing the details for each paragraph.

3. 4

By now you should have basically your whole story planned. If not: make an additional outline,
edit your work, add some brainstorm ideas, or make an idea web.

4. 5

You're now ready to start your "sloppy copy," otherwise known as your first draft! Begin by
writing down an essay-looking model from which to work.

5. 6

Revise your work with another color.

6. 7

Edit! Look in the dictionary to check your spelling and look in the thesaurus to vary your word
choices and make your written voice more interesting.

7. 8

Read your new draft aloud to anyone and accept any feedback. Doing this aloud will just let
you know whether it needs some work. If you got ahead of yourself and forgot letters or
punctuation, you will immediately realize it. Add any changes in a seventh color.
 8. 9

Do your second draft. Do not skip lines. Write in "essay form."

9. 10

If you are happy with the essay now, you can turn it in for credit/publishing, after editing for
spelling and grammar. If you're not, do steps 4, 5, and 6 again.

Tips

 Make a mnemonic device to help you remember things you often forget.
 Similes and metaphors are fun to use!
 Read books, newspapers, and magazines to help you find interesting facts you could use in your
writing.
 The info sources are for finding info about a "knowledge essay".
 Teachers admire people who work hard instead of racing to finish the essay at the last minute.
 If you are going to use a computer, write out your story or essay by hand first, then type it on a
computer. Writing by hand prepares you for essay tests. It also encourages very different ways
of thinking; computers can tend to make work look more "finished" or "official" than it really is.
 Use complete words and sentences. An essay or story is not a chatroom.
 Good writers read a lot. Read all the time: magazines, novels, the paper, anything. Reading a
wide range of material increases your vocabulary and gives you a sense of what you're trying to
achieve.
 Just have fun while writing. Writing shouldn't be torture, it is a skill.

edit Warnings

 Be careful to stay on topic. If you are writing about something unimportant, you may find that
your main message becomes buried under trivial stuff. This makes editing particularly important.
Depending on your topic and form of writing, you may find it helpful to include subtitles.
Subtitles may keep you focused and may help readers skip material that they do not necessarily
need to read. If you have a habit of going off topic, look at each paragraph. Does the paragraph
contain just one main idea? You may have information that is irrelevant or belongs somewhere
else in the paper. Also be sure to use transition words. Adverbs such as “however,” “therefore,”
and “finally” can make your writing easier to follow and more pleasing to the ear.
 Be sure that your writing is well organized! Poorly organized writing may not read well and may
even confuse your readers. As you go from paragraph to paragraph, check for cohesion. Try to
put your paragraphs into some kind of logical order. Oftentimes, you will do well to save the
best for last. In a persuasive essay, try to save your best argument for last. In a feature article,
save the most interesting information for the end (or the beginning).
 Writing takes patience and practice.
 Use synonyms with care. There is no quicker way to sound ignorant than to use a word as the
wrong part of speech or in the wrong context. Always look up words in the dictionary and make
sure you understand their meaning before using them. Also consider connotations of words and
know the importance of good word choice.
  Do not plagiarize! Realize that your references are very important in essays. They even lend
credibility to your research. If you are writing something for a writing class, you may want to ask
your teacher how to cite your references because there are many different styles. Be careful
how you use words and phrases from the original text. You may need to use quotation marks
around certain words that you borrow from the original, depending on how common the words
are.

edit Things You'll Need

 A dictionary
 A thesaurus
 Lots of paper - legal pads (long-sized & yellow color) work well
 Pens (in various colors)
 An encyclopedia
 Info sources
 A pen (for the final draft)
 Reading material (optional)

Learn how to improve English writing skills...

When learning how to improve English writing skills, it's helpful to have some help.

Some guided help.

Of course, the next question has to be...

How guided?

There is no simple answer. It all depends on what level you are at now and to what degree
you want to improve your English writing skills.

As an example, let's say that you are an intermediate or upper intermediate student and
you want to take the next step to attain a proficiency level of writing.

How do you get there?

Remember when you first started to improve your English writing skills?

Probably not, but it looked more or less like this...

Dear ________,
Hello! How are _____ ?

I'm _______. I hope you _________ (have) a good timeat school.

My friends and I ________ (go) to the cinema tonight.

We ______ (be) going to see an action movie.

Something similar to the above was probably your introduction to guided composition
writing. That's great when you are just starting out, but knowing how to improve your
writing skills at the proficiency level is a bit more complicated.

First, let's start with some basic phrases that are an absolute must at this level of writing.

To begin with, you need to know... to begin with!

At the proficiency level of writing it pays to know more than one way to list sequential
events or introduce subjects. Instead of using first, secondly, thirdly, next and finally to
introduce a sequence or series of events (as is commonly done at an intermediate level) you
can use, to begin with, what's more, moreover, consequently and ultimately to conclude the
series. The job these words and phrases accomplish make up an important part of writing
proficiently.

You see, there is much to know when learning how to improve English writing skills.

Not only will you learn how to improve English writing skills from "Writing Proficiently,"
you'll get access to guided composition writing at the highest levels with advanced exercises
designed to help you go from being an average or upper intermediate writer, to being a
proficient writer of the English language.

To learn more about how to improve English writing skills click on the preceding link. You will be taken
to a page dedicated to helping you know more about writing English essays.

http://www.michigan-proficiency-exams.com/how-to-improve-english-writing-skills.html