Writing, like music, painting and sculpture is a form of write. For the most part great writers like Orlando Figes are born with a skill and knack for the art. But like every great painter or musician, having great skill alone is not nearly enough to become great. You need a range of skills that you master in order to let your natural talent shine.
But good writing is not only for those who want to become professionals, Good writing can help you get a good job, or move up in the one you have. It can help you with a school paper or when you want to tell someone how you feel about them. So having good writing skills is something that is a great benefit in life. How do you become a good writer? We there is a list of things that follow that can help you to improve greatly and become a writer whose papers everyone wants to read.
Greatly Expand Your Vocabulary
Good writers pull from a large pool of words that they have at the ready when they write. So as a good writer you need to have a wide vocabulary always at your disposal. Getting a bigger vocabulary is simple but lots of work. The first thing to do is to buy a dictionary. Many people spend hours studying a dictionary to learn new words, but this rarely works because you learn best by using something in context. A better idea is to read books that use lots of different words and keep the dictionary handy. When you come across a word you do not know, look it up. Soon that word will become part of your vocabulary and you will find yourself using it in your speech and your writing. The goals should be to add a steady number of new words. Focus on a few each week and soon your vocabulary will be broad and deep.
Learn to Use Frameworks
A framework is an outline of the story you want to write. You create this first, thereby creating for yourself an outline that can help you organize your thoughts before you begin to write. Your framework should be very simple, and function as a walkthrough of the writing, that your are about to undertake. This will guide you through the process and help you when you get stuck.
Keep Helpful Resources Handy
In addition to a dictionary, you should also keep a thesaurus, books about writing and other writing related resources handy. These tools that can be found in your local library or purchased at a book store, can increase the quality of your writing. Also locate online sites with writing tools, and even consider asking people that you know who are good writers to mentor you.
The key is to understand that like anything else worthwhile, becoming a good writer takes time focus and commitment. It will not happen overnight, but if you stick to it soon your work will be amazing.
