However, this doesn’t mean you should take weeks to write something.
No piece of writing will ever be perfect – you have to know when it’s time to let it go. This is especially important in content marketing because you’ll rarely (if ever) have the luxury of crafting agonizingly beautiful blog posts full of poignant sentences and evocative imagery. As you become more confident, the “writing” part of writing will become easier and faster, but never lose sight of the fact that deadlines, or editorial calendars, are just as much your masters as any boss or manager.
As for me, I’m going to take my advice and call this post done. I hope you find these tips useful, no matter how long you’ve been writing.
Summary: How to Improve Your Writing Skills
Brush up on the basic principles of writing, grammar, and spelling.
Write like it’s your job and practice regularly.
Read more so you develop an eye for what effective writing looks like.
Find a partner. Ask them to read your writing and provide feedback.
Join a workshop, meetup, or take a writing night class.
Take the time to analyze the writing you admire.
Imitate writers you admire.
Outline your writing.
Edit your writing.
Accept that first drafts are often bad and revise.
Find an editor who demonstrates patience.
Eliminate unnecessary words from your writing.
Review your earlier work and see how you’ve grown.
Don’t be afraid to say what you mean in what you write.
Make sure you do adequate research on your topic.
Don’t delay writing. Get it done now.
Dan Shewan
MEET THE AUTHOR
Dan Shewan
Originally from the U.K., Dan Shewan is a journalist and web content specialist who now lives and writes in New England. Dan’s work has appeared in a wide range of publications in print and online, including The Guardian, The Daily Beast, Pacific Standard magazine, The Independent, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and many other outlets.
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