I never thought too much about writing or correct grammar usage until I started my business in 1996 and began proofing documents every day. I can’t believe the amount of mistakes I find when I’m editing (and at the start of my business 95% of these were medical reports – talk about scary!). I’ll admit in the beginning I wasn’t perfect (and sometimes I might miss something and I’m very hard on myself if I do :)), but if I am not 100% sure something is correct, I look it up so I know it is accurate and then the next time I don’t have to think about it. My thought is my name/my company is on this work and if something is going out to a client, it better be correct.
I have always loved spelling; I remember the word that ended my competition in the finals of the 8th grade spelling bee – commitment. I couldn’t remember if there were two ms or two ts. Needless to say, I have never forgotten how to spell it since that day. I always head straight to the dictionary whenever I can’t spell a word. I figure, I may not know it at the time, but if I look it up and see it in my head then I’ll always remember it.
My love for reading started when I was very young. During the summer, I would go to the library and I remember one summer day carrying home as many Beverly Cleary books as I could hold in my arms. I couldn’t have been more than 8 or 9 years old. That summer I read every Ramona and Beezus story as well as all of the other Beverly Cleary books. For me, reading takes me places and allows me to “leave it all behind.”
Below are some tips that help me with my writing, and I hope you’ll find them beneficial too, whether you write your blog for fun or you are writing your first book. Some people say it doesn’t matter; I strongly disagree. If we want to present a professional image and have high standards then what we present must be better than the other person. If not, how do we stand apart from the others?
1. Improve Your Reading Skills!
Better writing usually comes from doing — practice makes perfect (or you know the saying, the more you do something, the better you become at doing it).
Reading other writing plays an important part in improving your writing. It helps you develop your vocabulary and improve your spelling (which is discussed below). When you improve your vocabulary and spelling you continue to improve your reading skills and the cycle continues.
As you read other authors’ works, you’ll notice different styles and can decide which you like and don’t! You can improve your writing not only by doing, but also seeing how others do it.
2. Improve Your Spelling!
Learning to spell is essential to writing because correct spelling ultimately helps you convey your message to others. Since language is shared, then your spelling must follow the accepted standard pattern, and, as importantly, for persuasive writing, correct spelling gives writing credibility.
Remember, the spell check on the computer doesn’t catch incorrect usage of words, i.e., two, too, to, here, hear, their, they’re, and there to name a few.
3. Improve Your Vocabulary!
An excellent writer has a high-quality vocabulary; extensive and deep. When you have a large collection of words, you can choose the most exciting, precise word for whatever part of your story, and you won’t have to use the same word over and over.
Ways to improve your vocabulary: read well-written books; look up any word you don’t know the meaning of (I do this all the time); associate with people who have a great spoken and written vocabulary; and try to learn one new word a day. Keep a notebook and write the word and meaning down or keep a document on your computer and call it “New Words” – whatever works for you!
FYI – My writing skills are a work in progress; in high school I could never come up with a written paper. I was scared to death. When the teacher said pick a topic and do your research paper I broke out in hives! Research? Write? I’m not sure where or when my love for writing finally surfaced, but it has led me to this path of writing and editing and I like it. My goal is to write a book some day.
When did your love for writing start? What is your favorite tip for enhancing your writing skills? I’d love to hear from you.
Until next time,
Colleen
Your Verbal Positioning System
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