It seems like now-a-days, even in school; kids aren’t as proficient as they should be on the subject of writing and grammar. I know from personal experience with my son. We too, often don’t remember many of the basic rules we were taught in school. In this age of technology, it is easy to rely on the spelling and grammar checking functions of our favorite word processing program to correct our spelling and punctuation errors. I am keen on the use of technology and all the exciting possibilities that exist since its emergence. However, I think we owe it to ourselves to understand the fundamentals and keep our minds engaged in the process rather than relying on technology to remember the rules for us.

One of the best ways to preserve your fundamental writing skills and to develop essential new expertise is by writing everyday. You will be hard pressed to find a professional writer who doesn’t write everyday. That’s not just because they do it for enjoyment or profit, but because they know the only way to continually improve is to practice. They sharpen their skills practicing and perfecting their craft. The old saying “practice makes perfect” is apropos, but I like to say “practice makes permanent” since nothing is really ever perfect.

Another way to sharpen your writing skills is to read. Read a lot. Absorb how great writers compose their words and dramatically construct their sentences and paragraphs, tying everything together with vivid descriptions and details. Reading will not only help you with your writing, it will also build upon your proverbial lingua franca. I derive great pleasure in learning new words and reading enables me to do just that. If I don’t know what something means, I look it up. The broader your knowledge of language becomes the more vibrant and alive your writing will be. And, as a complementary benefit, you will also develop a more expressive and verbally persuasive communicative style.

Lastly, embracing the process is fundamental to good writing. A step that is frequently skipped is the time you take to plan, outline, and organize your thoughts. Writing is rewriting. It is understood that seldom, if ever, will there be a time when you create a masterpiece on your first attempt. It is a work in progress and will require modification and fine-tuning. It is rare that a first draft is a finished high-quality product. Even great inspiration will likely require revision and refinement.

Here are just a few simple, easy to follow rules you can begin applying to your writing today. There are many, many more. These are a just a few of the common rules I frequently see broken.

• Use concrete, rather than vague language:
  Vague: The weather was of a merciless nature on the east coast.
  Concrete: New Jersey was bitterly cold last week.
• Use active voice whenever possible:
  Passive: A home run was hit.
  Active: John hit a home run.
• Avoid overusing common words like it, is, there is, there are, it was, that:
  Example: There is a case of tuberculosis that was reported in the newspaper.
  Good: A case of tuberculosis was reported in the newspaper.
  Better: The newspaper reported a case of tuberculosis.

  Example: It is important to signal before making a left turn.
  Good: Signaling before making a left turn is important.
  Good: Signaling before a left turn is important.
  Active: You should signal before making a left turn.
  (Again, use active voice whenever possible)

• Don’t use two negatives to make a positive unless you want to confuse your reader:
  Example: He is not unwilling to help.
  Correct: He is willing to help.
• Avoid the dangling modifier (A modifier describes, clarifies, or gives more detail about a concept):
  Example: While jogging in a rainstorm, the lightening stuck her.
  Correct: While jogging in a rainstorm, she was stuck by lightening.
  Or: She was stuck by lightening while jogging in a rainstorm.

Once you master the basics, you can begin changing the rules and developing a style all your own. Who knows, you may discover you have a hidden talent comparable to the likes of Mark Twain, Stephen King, Jonathan Swift, Robert Frost, Spinoza, Thomas Paine, Jane Austen or any one of your personal favorites.

For those of you who read my very long, first post about the history of what inspired me to start the-write-biz.com, I thought I would go ahead and layout some ideas you can use to nurture and develop your style of writing.

When you write, it is very different than when you speak. Oral communication is much more comfortable and easy because there are so many other attributes to speaking that help you to expressively communicate. We use body language and gestures, without even realizing it, which enables the listener to interpret and comprehend what we are communicating with depth, feeling and clarity. But with the written word, it is just that; written, no additional vibrancy or animation, gestures, vocal intonation or inflection and no body language. These are all rudiments in the art of oral communication and we all stand out at different levels. But even the most basic communications are enhanced by the characteristics we all possess when we speak.

We all talk, and we talk a lot, about 16,000 words per day. Needless to say we are pretty good at talking. Compare that to writing. When was the last time you wrote 16,000 words? Never…that’s what most would say, so, since we are all proficient talkers, we too can develop and grow to become capable writers with some creativity, practice and persistence.

One of my favorite ways to write is to write about something I love, which is one of the reasons I started the-write-biz.com. I love to write. What are you passionate about? What do you love? What are you an expert at? Think about this as every person in the whole wide world has something they enjoy or love or have a gift or talent for. When you discover what you are passionate about, start writing. Don’t worry about what it sounds like or what it looks like on paper. Just get your thoughts transcribed out of your mind and onto the paper.

One of the most important tools I used years ago to develop my writing was in a job I had as an administrative assistant. I worked for a man that was a very gifted speaker. As part of my job, I transcribed from a Dictaphone his letters, memorandums, correspondence and speeches. It was an invaluable tool for both him and me. He would speak into his recorder which allowed him to fluidly convey his thoughts and ideas directly and succinctly. I would transcribe and he would edit and re-edit until it was written exactly the way he intended it.

“The beautiful part of writing is that you don’t have to get it right the first time, unlike, say, a brain surgeon. You can always do it better, find the exact word, the apt phrase, the leaping simile.” — Robert Cormier

That quote by Robert Cormier is altogether relevant and germane to any style of writing you set your mind to composing.

So whatever your reason is for wanting to become a more seasoned writer, use tools that will help you. Practice writing down interesting observations you make throughout your daily life. There are infinite topics to read and write about. Find something that interests you and start writing. Keep a journal or diary. Invest in a thesaurus. Speak to people you admire who are gifted writers and speakers. Read. Read something interesting and challenging everyday to develop your skill. Make it a practice to learn one new word and use it throughout the day. Your brain is a muscle, the more you use it the better it’s going to serve you in whatever you desire to achieve.

This post was submitted to the Home Based Business Group Writing Project