Learn How to Write by Writing

Writing is a form of communication, which many of us do every day. You may communicate through an email, a letter, or just about anything. You can write at any time, if you set your mind to it.

Learn how to write by writing. Don’t worry about making mistakes; we all do, but we just learn from them. If you think your writing is not good enough and refrain from writing, you will never write, and you will never learn. So, learn how to write by writing; practice makes perfection. Remember, writing is just a skill—and a skill is learnable.

There are, however, certain basics that you must know because they help you to write more efficiently.

The Purpose

Writing must have a purpose: why are you writing? There are many objectives of your writing: to argue, to explain, to inform, to instruct, to persuade, etc. It can be a combination of purposes. So, before your begin your writing, think and decide on the reasons why you are writing.

To illustrate, if you are writing an application letter, the purpose of the cover letter is to encourage the reader to look at your resume. or to motivate him or her to call you for an interview.

To illustrate, if you are writing a letter of complaint, is your purpose just to vent off steam, to demand an apology, or to ask for a refund.

The Reader(s)

You have to know or determine who will be reading your writing. This is important because it will affect what you are going to say, why you are saying it, and how you are going to say it. In other words, the readership affects your content as well as your attitude towards the subject of your writing.

The Brainstorming

Your writing must have content or substance, otherwise why would you write in the first place?

So, consider the following: How much do you already know? Where and how do you get extra information?

The information you are going to provide may be simple or complex. Consider the relevance of details to the topic, as well as the option of combining and integrating the details. The organization can be based on chronology, importance, or the pros and cons.

The next step is to have an introduction, a main body, which can be made up of different parts, and then a conclusion.

The Writing

You can start the writing process anywhere: it does not have to start from the beginning. The writing process is not a line; it is a circle made up of a series of steps, where you can begin your writing just anywhere you feel comfortable with.

Learn how to write by writing. Keep writing until you feel stuck, and then resume your writing after a short break. Don’t worry too much about the mistakes you might have made in the process.

After completing the draft, you review and revise it until you are happy with what you have written. During the revision, rethink the topic, the details, and the approach. After you are satisfied with the writing, then review and revise the language, such as the sentence structure, the choice of words, and the grammar.

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Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau