Writing Desk Tips: Seven Ways to Improve Communication
There has been significant change in doing business in the past decades. Numerous professions now expect proficient writing skills for new hires. Whether through email, song lyrics, or a screenplay, writing is essential to career success. While it might not always be our favorite subject, there are easy ways to improve your skill set and prepare for any job that requires communications. From using a writing desk to eliminating filler words, here are seven writing desk tips to help you make writing improvements today.
1. Write more than one draft
No matter what you’re writing, draft it first. Taking a short break, even just for a few seconds can help your brain refresh and edit your writing to improve your final draft. Rereading (or rewriting) your work can convey your thoughts more clearly and even propose new ideas.
2. Use a Writing Desk
Having a physical space dedicated to your writing, typing, or other communications can help you concentrate. Try to write on the writing desk at different times of the day. You may find it more encouraging at night, or rather your inspiration comes to you first thing in the morning. If noise is distracting, place your writing desk in a quiet and comfortable place. Remember that writing skills will develop over time, but it’s hard to practice without a physical space.
3. Work On Your Grammar
One simple tip is to focus on your grammar by reducing passive voice and increase active voice. A sentence is active when the subject (person/place/thing) is doing a verb to an object in that order. Passive sentences reverse the order: object, verb, then subject. Using passive voice is not necessarily a bad thing, but active is usually preferred. For example, “Grilled cheeses are loved by so many people with tomato soup” is passive. Instead, make it active, “So many people love their grilled cheese with tomato soup.” It sounds stronger and more direct.
Always be careful of small spelling mistakes and commonly misused words. A lot of people mess up its (belonging to) versus it’s (meaning it+is). Ex1/ “It’s sunny outside.” Ex2/ “We have to return the dog to its owner.” Another common misuse is there, they’re and their. They’re is the conjunction of they+are, their implies belonging, and there is the opposite of here. Ex1/ “They’re going to the store together.” Ex2/ “We have to return the dogs to their owner.” Ex3/ “There is an opportunity to grow the business.”
Use paragraphs to split text. Please note the use of colons, semicolons, apostrophes, and commas for punctuation where appropriate. Good writing skills should include strong wording, but accurately used. Use online resources to modify the grammar. I agree that grammar is painful; however, there are resources like grammarly, spell check and others to provide some additional help.
4. Avoid Over-explanation
If you take the time to build your ideas in advance, you should be able to explain them in a simple manner. The objective is to make readers understand only what you’re talking about and not be overwhelmed by mediocre details. If you find that a sentence, paragraph, or section contains more information than needed, review word by word to see what seems less necessary, and ask if the reader can understand the message.
5. Eliminate Filler Words and Phrases
Some words always appear in our writing, but they do not contribute much. These filler words and phrases may add colour and meaning, but in most cases, they create confusion in your writing. It would be best if you avoid or eliminate them from your writing.
6. Join a Writing Workshop
One of the best ways to improve writing and stay motivated is to talk to others and get feedback about your work. Search for local or online writing groups. In these groups, members usually read each other’s articles and discuss what they like, what they don’t like and how to improve their work. In addition to getting feedback, by providing feedback to others, you can also learn valuable lessons to develop your skills.
7. Write Every Day
Keep a diary, write to a pen pal, or spend about an hour writing for free. Choose a topic and start writing. Write again. The skill of writing needs to be practiced repetitively, and it’s a muscle that can be strengthened and cultivated through proper training.
Written by: Anonymous Gooroo Blogger
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