If you wish to improve your writing, you need to be more patient. Writing is a complex process and it requires going through several stages from start to finish.
We crave to bring our words into the world as promptly as viable. The desire for being heard burns in our insides and we type as rapidly as we can. As soon as we’re done with the first draft we’d like to hit the “publish” button.
Writing shouldn’t work like that. It demands patience, reason and deliberate action.
The size doesn’t matter
Doesn’t matter what you create; a 100 word blog post, an email to a friend, or a 100,000 words long novel. The principle doesn’t change. They are only set apart by the time required from the start point to the publishing. Finishing a blog post or an e-mail, takes anywhere from a day to a week, while completing a novel can take you months and sometimes even years.
In either case, you need to be patient, and you mustn’t skip any steps.
Build a concept
I used to neglect this step until recently. There isn’t any better guide for your writing than a concept. Write the questions you please to explain in your work and pursue them. Don’t be afraid to adjust your concept once you’re on the run. When the creative juices are flowing, you’ll have better solutions. Listen to your gut, it usually keeps a powerful message.
Don’t publish the first thing
Try to figure out whether it serves any purpose to your reader or is it just a bundle of words. In most cases, first drafts are useless.
Edit your writing
This is one more step which I used to detest and now it’s my favorite. If you own a printer, make your line spacing high (2 or 3 lines) and print it out. Once on paper, pick up the red pen and correct it.
Check for redundancy
Something that’s beyond the subject of your work, that doesn’t add to the narrative or to the point of your piece.
Once you’ve done, check if anything is missing
Perhaps it would be simpler for your reader to figure out what you’ve been trying to say if you include more accurate examples. After adding more words to your writing, I would recommend you to go through everything again and make sure that you haven’t included too many of them.
Is anything unclear
Maybe you were jumping from one topic to another; it happens often in writing. Don’t confuse your reader. Remove all obscure and philosophical expressions. Don’t be smart in your writing, but don’t be dumb either.
Keep your sentences brief
Let them display a specific note and then stop them; like this. It will make your writing sound friendlier. Your reader won’t have to break her brain over your content just to figure out what were you trying to say. That is not the easiest job in the world. Once the words flow they keep flowing. Some authors can get away with lengthy sentences, but you need to be a master to pull that out.
Check for the errors
Nobody likes a text with bad spelling and grammar. We make blunders and nothing is wrong with that, but occasionally these failures can spoil the reading experience. Make certain you have the least possible mistakes.
You need to work like a painter
Patiently, adding layer upon layer on your white canvas until you’ve got the desired image. The painter’s work is simpler. When she completes her job, she has a visual representation of her output. It’s either pleasing, or it’s not. In a visual sense, all you’ve got is a multitude of black characters on a white surface. If you can’t picture them in your mind, they aren’t worth anything.
That takes time and a regular practice. The more you do it the stronger you’ll become in it.
Do it every day, just remember to do it slowly.