We Are All Writers…So Write Like a Pro

Regardless of whether the word “writer” is in your job title, we are all writers—creating email, cover letters, reports, speeches, blogs, newsletters.  Here are four tips to help you do it much better…

It’s easy to feel frustrated by the writing process, but it's also easy to boost your skills through some simple practices.  Mastering the art of writing will help you be persuasive and prompt others to view you as smarter and more insightful. 

Writing in the Harvard Business Review, Samantha Amber, author and host of the podcast How I Write, offers these tips:

1. Read your work out loud. Hearing your words brings them to life and exposes flaws like clunky or overly-long phrasing.  If you have said too much or not enough, it will not sound right to the ear.  This is also the very best way to catch typos.
2. Edit other people’s work. Reviewing the work of others critically and methodically is the best way to help you become more intentional in your own writing. 
3. Ask: Am I adding value or saying something new? If you are creating content that is already out there and saying it in the same way, think about stopping until you can do more research or get input from someone with expertise in the subject, 
4. Clear your metaphorical throat. Your first two paragraphs can probably be deleted, or seriously condensed, because most of us spend a lot of time warming up and getting into a groove.  Even if you love those paragraphs, be objective.  Sometimes you must “kill your darlings.” 

What do you have on deck to write next, and which of these tips might help you most?  To join the conversation, click on "comments" below.

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