In my line of work, I come into daily contact with all sorts of writing—ranging from the terrific to the truly atrocious. (My own lies somewhere in the murky middle.)
Okay, so maybe not everyone is meant to be great writer. But almost anyone can become an effective writer … and that’s more important. Knowing how to persuade through the written word, express important ideas, and convince people to think your way is a powerful advantage to have.
Effective writing isn’t all that hard to achieve. All it takes is practice, a positive attitude, and the development of a few basic habits. So as much as I hate to jump on the “7 Habits” bandwagon, I’m afraid I must. Here we go …
1. Begin with one, strong idea—and stick to it.
You can make yourself a better writer almost immediately by avoiding the biggest mistake people make: They try to cram too much into their writing.
Whether you’re writing a letter, a short memo, a speech, a long essay, or even a non-fiction book, you’ll do best if you base it on a single, strong and interesting idea.
2. Write about what you know.
Ideally, the people who read your work should come out of the experience smarter—not dumber. Stick to topics you’re familiar with, and always verify your facts. When you have to write about something you don’t know well, interview an expert—or research until you are an expert.
3. Make an outline.
Most bad writing is simply the result of careless or insufficient thinking. The best way to avoid this is to make a basic outline first before you actually write. Once you have the “skeleton” of your piece, you’ll find it much easier to stay on track.
4. State your main idea in your first paragraph.
Never assume your reader will read the whole piece through to the end (especially when you’re writing a letter). If you have something important to say, make sure you say it at the beginning. Support it with specifics in the succeeding paragraphs, and then tie everything up nicely at the end.
