Tips to Effective Writing

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Do you love writing? And do you want people to love what you write? Well, then this article is for you. Writing is not a big deal. Anybody and everybody can write. But what differentiates you as a writer is the essence of your writing. Your piece of work must be written effective enough to appeal to the readers. In short, effective writing is what you need to learn and I’m here to give you some really useful effective writing tips.

But, before you enter into the world of writing, first of all make sure that you really want to write. At times, it happens that all the name and fame that a writer receives allure you and you are mesmerized by the thought of becoming a writer. This shouldn’t be your reason. You must write out of passion. Making your passion, your profession is always a step towards your success but on the same hand, a profession without passion is something that will not stand for long. So, conduct a thorough introspection of yourself and know your reasons.

Now, that you have recognized your inner passion for writing, just start it. Pick up your pen/paper or laptops and start writing. Here are some useful effective writing tips:

  • Be PRECISE and CONCISE

Precise means clear and accurate and concise means giving only necessary and important information in a few words. Therefore, do not repeat ideas and words unless you need repetition to summarize your ideas or emphasize them or to keep your reader on track.

  • Use PARAGRAPHS

Except in questions which are to be answered in one paragraph only, use several paragraphs each having only one main idea/point or argument that is stated on what is called a topic sentence. The other sentences either expand the idea or point being made or support or contradict an argument.

  • Show PROGRESSION

What you write should have a beginning, a middle and an end or conclusion. The string of paragraphs you use should show this progression. Within a single paragraph, too, ideas should proceed from or lead to it’s main idea.

  • Include COHESIVE DEVICES

In order to have a logical organization or arrangement of ideas in a paragraph and across a complete piece of writing, use cohesive devices i.e. words or expressions that bring about unity and clarity in what you write.

Cohesion can be achieved through:

  1. Repetition of key word/phrases in order to keep the reader on track.
  2. Synonyms (instead of using the same word again and again) and antonyms.
  3. Pronouns to avoid the repetition of nouns.
  4. Transitional words i.e. words indicating a change or shift in idea. (These words express concepts like addition, comparison, contrast, enumeration, concession, exemplification, inference, summary/conclusion, time and sequence, result, reformulation, replacement and place/position. Adverbial words and phrases also fall under this category.)
  5. Collocation i.e. words that are commonly paired together.
  6. Repeated or parallel sentence patterns for emphasis or rhetorical effect.

  • Employ Appropriate VOCABULARY

The vocabulary you use should be appropriate to the task. It’s not necessary to use complex words rather simple words that convey your idea correctly should be used. As a reader, you yourself can relate to it that if you need to consult a dictionary every now and then while reading, how jarring the experience is!

Here is a list of important vocabulary words to make your writing effective.

  • Avoid GRAMMATICAL ERRORS

As in vocabulary, the more simpler and accurate the grammatical structures you employ, the better will be your writing. Also, make sure that you use punctuation marks consistently and accurately.

  • Choose an Appropriate STYLE AND FORMAT

Depending upon your target audience and the situation or context in which you are writing, vary your style and tone from formal to informal and from Impersonal to personal. An academic piece of writing, for example, should be different in style from a personal Letter. A newspaper article should read like an article and a speech should sound as a speech. And the way you would write to a friend or relative is certainly different from the way you would write to an editor or a government official.

  • Respect the WORD LIMIT

Depending on the type of your writing, make sure you abide by the prescribed word limit. If your writing falls short of the word limit it is probably incomplete or does not fulfil the requirements of the topic and if it overshoots the word limit it is either not to the point or full of repetition and/or unnecessary ideas. Learn to respect the word limit.

  • PLAN BEFORE you Write

Only very gifted writers can write offhand and yet be effective. As a budding writer, you need to plan in detail before you write. It is good idea to brainstorm a topic and note down as many ideas as come to mind and later select only the most relevant among them.

  • Read and PRACTICE a lot

Unless you read a lot you will find it hard to generate ideas and have the necessary information on the topic you have to write and if you do not practice writing you may not know what your strengths and weaknesses as a writer are and how you can build on the former and eliminate the latter.

  • EDIT and REVISE your draft

Once you have prepared the first draft, edit and revise it to remove any error that you come across. Look for errors in spelling, vocabulary, punctuation, and grammar and for any unnecessary repetitions. Ensure that there is a clear progression from the beginning to the end and that the ideas are relevant and logically organized.

Re-edit your work time and again until you are fully satisfied with it. Now, finally your writing is ready to publish.
So, this was a quick guide to effective writing. I hope the above effective writing tips help you out and you achieve your dream of becoming a good writer super soon. With all the good wishes, I conclude this piece.

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