Writing Tips

 -- Writing --

We have a very special guest appearing on our blog today - Darren Chow offering tips for writers:

Three English Language Writing Tips: 

by Darren Chow (http://writingtipsguidesresources.com)

Writing in the English language is pretty straightforward but very difficult to be good at. In order to improve your English writing, you have to put in lot of time to practice writing. Here are some useful tips that will help you improve your English writing.

Tip 1: Build on Your Vocabulary

Writing is a form of expression. And in order to express yourself better, you need to have the words to express what you are thinking or feeling. If you are limited by your vocabulary, your writing will never be able to communicate fully what you want to convey.

There are many ways you can improve on your vocabulary. You can study the works of other writers. You can listen to tapes or enrol in English classes. You can even sign up for online English lessons if you prefer the convenience. Some people like to learn from free resources on the Internet. As long as you are exposed to the English language on a daily basis, your vocabulary will improve.

Reading and listening can only do so much. To really improve your writing, you must put in the effort to practice. That means you must apply what you have learned. Knowing the words and actually using them are two different things. Your writing will improve when you have figured out how and when to use different words.

Tip 2: Putting Sentences Together

Sentence construction is the basic building block of all writing. First, you have your words. But words do not mean much until you are able to put them together into meaningful sentences. This is where some English writers run into problems.

Avoid run-on sentences that ramble on and on. Sentences that are too long tend to contain mistakes. When readers read your writing, their breath actually follows the rhythms of you writing. For instance, the reader will pause when there is a comma. If you use a period, the pause is a little longer. When you write very long sentences, your readers will find there is no time to catch their breath!

In addition, long sentences also tend to contain more grammatical mistakes. It is more difficult to check for correct tenses in a long sentence. The answer is to write in short, clear and concise sentences. A simple passage that contains messages that are easy to understand is much better than a long one with lots of errors and mistakes.

Tip 3: Be an Avid Reader

Reading and writing are closely tried together. You writing can not become better until you have seen how a good piece of writing looks like. And you will not be able to tell good writing from poor one until you have read numerous amount of good writing.

Reading is something that can be cultivated into a life long habit. Pick any subjects that you are interested in and start reading. It does not matter if you pick up a book, a magazine, or a newspaper. As long as you are reading and writing consistently, your writing will eventually improve.

 

Find Dave and Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, information about their radio program, newsletter, blog, and more at: www.brummet.ca 

* Support the Brummets by telling your friends, or visiting the Brummet's Store - every sale raises funds for charity as well!