writing is a skill that honestly speaking, not everyone possesses. It may be considered irrelevant because of the infamous quote: “I already speak English, I can Write it too”.
The reality is that different settings call for different writing styles that must be applied at their proper time. For instance, when you are trying to obtain your dream job and you know that you must tweak your resume to make it right for your desired position, you need excellent writing skills to create an eye-catching resume that will differentiate you from other highly-skilled candidates.
Unless you know somebody who can help you upgrade it, or have the funds to pay a professional, you could be potentially risking your future. Does this sound dramatic? Well, this is the reality.
Knowing how to write like a pro is not only significant when trying to obtain a great job, but there are also instances in life where knowing how to write properly can save you time and money! Picture yourself trying to purchase the house of your dream and communicating with attorneys as well as the home seller. One tiny writing mistake can lead them to think that you are not educated nor prepared to take that big step just because you cannot do one of the most important, yet simple things in life: writing.
Do not misspell words
Goinswriter points out that if you are not sure about the correct spelling of a word, you can replace it with a synonym, alter the sentence, or Google the word itself. This is a simple step that many overlook and therefore fail. You want to avoid commonly Misspelled Words such as confusing "than" and "then."
Additionally, if the word you have chosen is repeated many times throughout your writing, you might want to replace it with a synonym that you know or change the context of the sentence.
You do not want to sound redundant.
Proofread, proofread, proofread
You might believe that your work is done after you write the last sentence and take that last breath before submitting your final piece. You are not.
You must go back and read what you have proudly written to check for misspelled words, misplaced punctuations, and random elements that might appear in random places, such as numbers or spaces.
You need to revise your work and make sure that everything is perfect before submitting. Remember that even the greatest writers make mistakes, so do not get discouraged when you go back to revise your work and notice a minor mistake. Writing is not easy, so it is okay to fix your writing numerous times.
Do not use words that you don’t know
If you don’t know the word, why use the word? Chances are that you are going to forget what the word means and when someone asks what you meant when you wrote it based on the context, you are going to be lost and look dumb.
- Use “huge” instead of “colossal”
- Use “wealthy” instead of “lavish”
- Use “catastrophic” instead of “detrimental “
The point is, don’t look up synonyms of the words you use every day because most of the time, the synonyms you choose will not complement the context of the sentence and will cause confusion.
Write with authority
If you show that you know what you are writing about, your writing will become more persuasive and you will be most likely to achieve whatever it is you want. Do not show phrases that may express insecureness such as “I think” or I believe” because you would be writing about what could be instead of what is.
Also, the more confidence you have in your writing, the better you will get at it since you will have the eagerness to improve it. Remember that greatness comes from within, and writing comes from the heart.
Do not try to sound smarter than you are
Do not mention that you know what you are doing nor that you have many years of experience doing whatever it is that you want to achieve.
Just by writing about what you know rather than getting narcissistic is enough to demonstrate that you are smart.
Avoid using phrases like “I know what I’m doing”, or “I know a lot about this matter.” In fact, people who use those phrases are often lost and do not actually know what they are doing. They are actually trying to cover their insecurities by using those affirmative phrases.
In short, show what you know, don’t tell. Prowritingpartner illustrates this with their quote by Edward Morgan Forster who once said: “How do I know what I think until I see what I say?"
