There are many easy ways to improve your writing skills. Here are some of our favorites.

Read

Read. Read a lot. And don’t just read. Make note of what kind of writing engages you and what bores you. You can learn just as much from examples of good writing as you can from examples of bad writing. When you begin to write, apply what you’ve learned to write something you enjoy reading.

Join a writer’s group

Writers love to help other writers. These groups often exchange and give feedback on each other’s projects, whether online or in person. But the only way other writers can help you is if you allow them to provide you with constructive criticism of your writing. We all have habits we can’t see and therefore improve until they’re pointed out

Learn from Grammarly

If you use Grammarly, don’t just have it correct your writing. Study what mistakes you’re consistently making and try not to repeat the same ones. As you put conscious effort into it, you’ll discover that you’re beginning to make some of the corrections Grammarly normally would automatically.

Let time be your ally

In place of, or in addition to, joining a writer’s group. You can see your work more clearly if you put it aside for a while. When we first reread our writing, we tend to fill in the blanks or make corrections in our minds that aren’t actually on the paper or screen. Allowing some time to pass gives us a fresh look.

Master consolidation

Always ask yourself if there’s any way you can state something more concisely. As we keep this concept in mind, most of us realize that we not only used extra words, we may have said the same thing in multiple sentences. Cut it down. If your meaning isn’t clear, you can always add more explanation, but you’ll not likely need to.

Know your subject

This is a simple one, but you’ll write better if you feel confident in what you’re writing. Even if your work is fiction, learn everything you can about your setting and characters. As you take this approach, you’ll discover that the more you understand your subject, the easier it is to subtly sprinkle in details rather than overexplain.

Subtitle in your head

We love this one for fiction writers. Pick a show or movie with a similar theme to your book, then watch it with the volume off. Try to describe what you’re seeing in your mind. Film tends to move more quickly than novels and is more concise, so this technique will train you to pare down your descriptions to what is essential.