I would never call myself an expert when it comes to the written word - it just happens to be the creative medium I feel most comfortable with. Whether it's writing for this blog, ALO, or in my freelance work, a day rarely goes by when I'm not spending my time crafting words and sentences. I've shared before some advice for writing for the web, and today I wanted to touch on some steps I've taken over the years to improve my own way with words.

Read more From my experience, the more I read, the better I write. By losing myself within the words of others, I open myself up to better prose and I always find myself creating stronger work whenever I'm engaged with my literary favourites. If you're looking to improve your way with words, surrounding yourself with novels and non-fiction reads will open yourself up to different ways to build sentences and prose that can help you vary your own writing style.

Focus on grammar Strong grammar can make all the difference when it comes to how you write, and even though mistakes will of course be made and there's only so much proof reading we can do, taking the time to focus on our grammar and double-checking things when needed can really help us create content we can be really happy with. Grammar is an area I can slip up with from time to time - awesome resources I've found include this cheat sheet on Medium and Kenzie's The Writer's Guide.

Know what you want to say When you're building content or putting together an article or a post, knowing what it is you want to say can really help you create a focused and concise piece. Whenever I approach a piece of work I always have an outline of what exactly it is I want to say and what the purpose of the piece is; is it to inspire? to inform? to engage? Cutting the fat and getting to the point means you won't confuse your readers either, though there are some rare occasions of course where I just write freely without a direct purpose and end up finding my point along the way.

Try new things As I'm usually creating content most days I can sometimes find myself in a rut when it comes to my writing style and sooner or later things can start to feel a little stagnant. It's times like these that I try something a little different, whether it's how I format my writing or the way I actually build sentences; trying a new style can really help you push yourself to write stronger and better content. The biggest thing I've learned is that practice will always make perfect; if you compare my writing from when I first started this blog to how it is now I've come on leaps and bounds and it's all thanks to taking the time to really find my feet in my craft.

Add some personality Especially when it comes to blog content, I find my biggest intention when writing posts is to hopefully find a way to connect with you guys and start a conversation. The best way to do this is to add some personality to your writing style; whether it's a personal and friendly tone, or to the point and direct - whichever style suits you, your personality, and point of view, can really help you personalise your words. I tend to approach different types of content in different ways - for example, I tend to write a little differently for my ALO content and my content here, and again whenever I'm working on a freelance project. It's all about knowing your audience, your tone, and the right style for the right piece.

I would love to know what you think?

Jen

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