Many people dread writing from an early age, whether it be essays in school, theses in college, to emails and more at work and beyond. During my time as an editor for two and half years, I learned a lot about how to improve writing no matter the skill level of the writer. Polish your craft by following these tips!
Follow the 5W model
When communicating a message, focus on the who, what, where, when, and why (plus how). For example, what is your company’s new paid time off policy? Who does it apply to? When is it going into effect? Where is it happening? Why is it happening? How will the new policy work?
Consistency
Twenty-two or 22? “X, Y, and Z” or “X, Y, and Z”? Consistency communicates professionalism, which is important in a work setting. There are many different style guides and dictionaries to chose from, meaning there’s no one right or wrong way in many cases. Just pick one style (for example, Chicago Manual of Style and Webster’s dictionary for spelling) and stick to it!
Active voice over passive
Clarity and simplicity is always the best way to get a message across. Instead of “The ball was kicked by the boy,” why not simply say “The boy kicked the ball”? While active voice may not always be appropriate depending on the context or tone you’re aiming for, strive to use it over passive voice as much as possible.
Formatting
When you’re sending an important email, you want the information to be read. However, the person on the receiving end may have a hard time sifting through several long, dense paragraphs without anything visual to make pertinent information to stand out. If they simply don’t have the time, they may not even get to the important parts at all!
Instead, limit sentences to one or two ideas, break text into short paragraphs (roughly three to four sentences), and use bullet points for lists. Draw attention to important information using bold font or red text to make it stand out.
If you’re writing a blog or article, make use of numbered headings (also called H1, H2, etc.) to organize information. Like chapters in a book, headings help readers find information they are looking for and allows them to easily jump ahead to parts they are most interested in. Don’t let your readers get lost in a sea of text!
Use commas to separate two ideas
I encounter compound sentences daily, and it drives me nuts when I have to reread a sentence to grasp the meaning.
A compound sentence connects two independent clauses that can stand on their own. However, when these independent parts get long and complicated it can become especially tedious to read. Not to mention if the clauses are linked with “and,” which can trick your brain into thinking you’re now reading a list and then having to do some mental gymnastics to realize you simply moved on to a new idea.
Learn more about compound sentences here.
List things in threes
When it comes to writing, three is a magic number. Called “rule of three,” this writing principle is based on the idea that three is more satisfying or effective than other numbers. While you may have two examples, including a third communicates to the audience that you probably have even more, though three is sufficient and preferable to going on and on.
Oxford comma: to use or not to use
Chicago Manual of Style uses what’s called an “Oxford” or serial comma, while AP style does not. In Chicago style, you would say “sugar, spice, and everything nice,” while in AP style you would simply say “sugar, spice and everything nice.”
Just like with consistency, there is no wrong or right answer here – just pick one style and stick with it. I prefer to use the Oxford comma because it aids in clarity so you don’t have to reread things.
“Brevity is the soul of wit”
This was something I still remember from my college days. If you can say it in fewer words, do it! A simple yet effective tip that will make you think more deeply about your word choice if you’re looking to take things to the next level.
Be sure to keep these tips handy the next time you’re writing anything from a memo to your next novel! Which one do you plan to start using?
Author Melissa Meaglia, fantasy and sci-fi novelist 