When I first started blogging, it would take me a week to write a blog post. I knew the topic well, but I just wasn’t confident in my writing skills nor my ability to find the words to adequately convey my message. I felt that my words were not as eloquent as other bloggers and it would ultimately prevent me from hitting publish. But over time, the more I wrote, the easier it became.
It can be a disappointing feeling when you’re excited to sit down and knock out a blog post, but you end up just sitting there instead. Writing is an essential skill that every blogger should strive to achieve. If your lack of writing skills are hindering your blogging progress, I have good news for you. Similar to any other skill, writing just requires practice. Over time, your writing will become noticeably better.
Before getting into the actual writing tips, I wanted to first go over writing quality and how it affects you and your blog.
Advantages of Good Writing
- Having the ability to write blog posts quicker and more efficiently, leaving you with more time to work on other aspects of your blogging business.
- Improved thinking and clear communication
- Expanded vocabulary
- Increased creativity and critical thinking skills
- More engaged readers
- Increased revenue
Disadvantages of Bad Writing
- More time spent writing blog posts
- Can potentially hurt your brand
- Increased bounce rate
- Frustration
- Imposter syndrome
A common misconception is that people think writing is difficult, or that great writers are born, not made. But here’s the good news; writing can be learned just as easy or as hard as anything else. It’s all comes down to you.
It comes down to one question. Do you want to become a better writer or not?
Are you willing to dedicate a sufficient amount of time and effort to work on your craft?
Would you rather be able to write clear and concise blog posts that your audience understands and benefits from, or spend hours and hours struggling to come up with anything decent?
If you chose the latter, do yourself a favor and bookmark this page. That way, you can at least come back to it later if you change your mind.
For all of you aspiring writers, here are 5 writing tips for bloggers that you can instantly start committing to daily habits to become both, a better writer and blogger.
5 Writing Tips for Bloggers
1. Write Every Day
“The more you write, the easier it will become. Writing is not only a process of improving your skills as a professional writer but also your skills as a creative person. When you look back a year later, you will be blown away by how much you have improved.” – Kirsten Trammell, writer and actress
Anyone who desires to become a better writer should first develop a habit of writing daily.
Initially, your word count can be as low as a few hundred words which is perfectly fine. What’s important is that you are writing.
As time progresses, you will naturally be able to write longer and longer pieces of content. Eventually, you want to strive for at least a thousand words. If you can do more, great! If not, just keep practicing daily.
Below is an animated summary of the New York Times’s bestselling book, Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by entrepreneur and author, James Clear.
If you’re interested in developing new habits that will improve your life, whatever the goal is, then I highly recommend checking out this short video before reading on.
Use Writing Prompts
In this exercise, you can write about anything that you want. The only rule is, you can not stop. Don’t overthink. Just write. The more you write, the better you’ll get.
Start off by writing just 5 minutes a day. Over a month you will have put in an extra two and a half hours of practice. This might not seem like a lot, but those incremental improvements is what will help develop you into a more skilled and confident writer.
These writing prompts also serve as a great warmup before writing a blog post. This is the writer’s equivalent to a runner stretching before getting on the track.
Remember: Writing often is better than writing a lot
Writing 15 minutes every single day is better than writing 2 hours once a week. Writing is a muscle that is developed over time, not all at once. Be patient. Be consistent.
2. Don't Repeat Writing Mistakes
Just as certain actions will lead to positive habits, not correcting your writing mistakes will lead to bad writing habits.
Resources that will help minimize writing mistakes
Grammarly is a digital writing assistance tool that I use and love. It detects potential issues and provides suggestions for grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. to improve my own writing. If you decide to not opt for their pro version, you should at least sign up for their free version or install the Grammarly Chrome extension. If you want to improve your writing immediately, this tool can definitely help do that.
3. Write Now, Edit Later
“Write freely and as rapidly as possible and throw the whole thing on paper. Never correct or rewrite until the whole thing is down.” – John Steinbeck, American author and 1962 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature
It’s much easier (and faster) to write a sloppy rough draft and edit it afterward than it is to write a good piece of content the first time around.
By separating the two and focusing on just writing down your thoughts first, you’re able to create a flow state that enables you to write down whatever it is that comes to your mind without the pressure of needing it to be perfect.
Don’t worry about spelling or grammar
Your only job is to let the words flow from your head to your paper. Also, don’t feel that you have to write your first draft in one sitting. Get up and take a break if you need to.
A very helpful time management method that I use to increase productivity is the Pomodoro technique, which involves 25 minutes of learning followed by a 5-minute break.
Whether you want to learn something new or simply make the most out of your time, incorporating this technique into your blogging routine will definitely make a difference.
Below is a quick video explaining what the Pomodoro technique is and how you can use it to learn something more efficiently.
4. Read Everyday
Regular reading leads to better writing. The more you read, the more you’re exposed to different writing styles, structures, words, phrases, etc. The key is to immerse yourself in the beauty that is writing and eventually you will develop your own style.
5 ways that reading will improve your writing:
Improves Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation
While you read, pay attention to the grammar, the spelling of unfamiliar words, and the punctuation that is used.
If you don’t have an extensive vocabulary or you’re not the best at spelling, try writing down the words that you’re not familiar with. Pay attention to punctuation as well. When reading, pay attention just as much to the writing as you do to the text.
Promotes vocabulary growth
The more you read, the more new or unfamiliar words you’ll come across. Similar to spelling, if you’re not positive about what a word means, stop and look it up. Make a list of new vocabulary words with their definition.
Increases creativity
Routinely exposing yourself to different books and authors will help you generate new ideas of your own. As a guitarist’s style will be influenced by the songs that he or she plays and listens to, a writer will be develop their own voice and writing style by the books that they read.
The more you read, the more creative you become, and the easier it will be to produce original content.
Develops critical thinking skills
Reading teaches you how to analyze information with an open mind. To let new ideas challenge your current beliefs.
Exposes you to various writing styles
Reading different pieces of content from various authors helps expand your writing horizon. Works from great authors allow you to see and understand what good writing looks like which will then improve your own writing.
5. Understand Your Audience
Clarity over Complexity
While there are benefits to expanding your vocabulary, you never want to cause confusion with your readers by using words that are over their heads. This will of course be different for each blogger and their audience. Just be aware of who your readers are and the most effective way of communicating with them.
For more about writing with clarity, CopyBlogger has a great article on the topic.
Conclusion
Developing a skill requires consistent action to become better. Implement a routine that will set yourself up for success.
If you would like to drink more water, place a filled glass on your nightstand before you go to bed. That way it’s right in front of you when you wake up so you can’t forget.
If you want to become a better writer, dedicate a block of time every day, no matter how small, to practice writing. At night, you could also place a book on your nightstand and dedicate another time slot to reading.
In summary, to become a better writer:
- Write every day, no matter how little.
- Don’t repeat writing mistakes to avoid bad writing habits.
- Write your draft first. Edit afterward.
- Reading every day improves critical thinking skills, expands your vocabulary, and inspires new ideas.
- Understand your audience and their needs.
Write, write, write, and don’t forget to reward yourself!
If you’re an experienced writer and have other tips for anyone looking to improve their writing skills, I would love to hear them in the comments.
Related: Blog Headlines: 5 Simple Tips To Getting More Clicks!
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