I love to write. If you were to ask me which part of my job I’d be happy to do for the rest of my life – which part of my work feels the least like ‘work’ – writing would be it.
I’ve always loved a good story, and when I went into business for myself in 2007, the opportunity to do more writing was one of the main reasons. Even more than avoiding the morning peak-hour traffic and working from home in my pyjamas, believe it or not.
Not creative writing, mind you. I don’t have ‘the great Australian novel’ inside my head, just waiting to be poured onto paper. No, short-form, non-fiction writing is what interests me. Feature articles in magazine and the like. While I’d never call myself a journalist (I don’t have the qualifications), I love to learn more about a subject – delve into the research, interview people, find the angle – and then tell the story in a way that really interests and engages people. It’s like getting a little snapshot of another life.
Fortunately for me and my fellow write-o-philes (?), and now that I’m established as a freelancer, one of the skills for which I’ve found the greatest need is writing. Whether producing content for a report, putting together a speech or writing for the web, it seems there is no shortage of demand for concise, reader-friendly writing.
Writing is also an area in which I know many of my colleagues – yes, even the professional communicators – often struggle and lack confidence. We all understand the frustration of knowing what you want to say, but not being able to find the right words to convey your message. Being a good writer is sometimes seen as a God-given talent; you either have it, or you don’t.
But I disagree. I think good writers are made as much as they are born, and I’ve seen the proof, as students, colleagues and friends have developed into excellent writers, over time.
Recently, as I prepared my notes for a writing class I teach, I started to think about what – in my humble opinion – makes a good writer.
Just in case they’re useful – and because it’s a(nother) excuse to write! – I‘ll share my thoughts with you here …
1. Be a good reader
If I could offer any budding writer just one piece of advice, it would be to read. Read voraciously. Consume every bit of information you can find, in as many different formats as you can. Read about subjects that interest you, but read information in formats that you want to write in, too.
This will help you to develop that crucially important instinct for how a piece of writing should read. What I mean by this is, how the lead paragraph of a magazine feature article should sound, versus the opening line of a speech, or a snappy post for social media. You’ll get a feel for what sounds right and what doesn’t – and that skill is priceless. You can learn all the rules in the book, but becoming familiar with good (and bad) examples of writing, in a range of different styles, will make a huge difference to your ability to write with flair.
When you develop that instinctive knowledge, of how to shape information to suit a particular channel or purpose, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a fantastic writer.
2. Be a good listener
This is particularly important if you’re writing in a professional context, in which case, you may be writing for someone else. In my career, I’ve found that most people have a pretty good idea of what they want in a piece of writing – even if they claim they don’t. So when you’re being briefed by your boss or a client, listen carefully to what they say they want from your work. Pay attention when they explain what’s ‘not quite right’, or what’s lacking, at the moment. Listen to the sorts of words they use, as these will give you an idea of the style and tone they’re after.
For example, words like ‘positive’, ‘active’ and ‘forward-thinking’ will help determine your sentence and paragraph structure. You probably don’t want to lead with a problem or a negative experience, in this example. It will also tell you what kind of language you should be using, in this case, avoiding sharp or jarring words that have negative connotations.
Listening skills are also very important when writing for other purposes too. Fail to listen properly, and you could miss a throwaway comment from an interview subject that would send your story in an entirely new and exciting direction. Don’t listen to a speech or script read out loud first, and you could inadvertently trip up your spokesperson with a word that’s difficult to read or pronounce under pressure.
As they say, you’ve got two ears and only one mouth for a good reason.
3. Recognise that writing is a skill
Because we learn to speak and read and write from such a young age, I think people think writing is something that should come to them ‘naturally’. They forget that writing – like any other skill, such as mastering a new computer program or participating in a sport – is something that can be learned and taught.
So don’t be too hard on yourself if you’re not ‘naturally’ a good writer. Some of the best writers in the world probably weren’t either, until they did enough writing to become quite good at it. Now, you may not be willing or able to dedicate the time and energy required to become a truly brilliant wordsmith, but that’s okay. You just need to be good enough. That is to say, you just need to reach that critical point where you’re able to get whatever is in your head down on paper (or screen), in a way that makes you happy.
Which leads me nicely to my next point: of course, accepting writing is a skill means it’s also something at which you can improve with effort and practise. Find opportunities to write in your current profession. You don’t have to sit down and churn out an article every night. Put a little more effort into crafting your social media posts – and see how your friends respond! Try writing a really succinct and articulate comment beneath an online news article that interested you. Pay more attention to how you come across in emails, and see if you can make any improvements.
Remember, good writing will always be a battle if you view it as something you switch ‘on’ and ‘off’. Bad habits are easy to develop, and hard to change. Work to develop and keep up the good habits instead.
4. Know the rules before you decide to break them.
Yes, I know the rules are a little different now, thanks to modern communication, and that texting and email communication has fundamentally changed the way we speak to each other. And I agree that language should be a dynamic, evolving thing that reflects shifts in our broader society. But I do think you should know all the rules, even if you’re going to (consciously) break them later. Know the basic tenets of grammar, or at least the ones you encounter on a regular basis. Learn to spell correctly so you’re getting it right most of the time, even if you still make the occasional mistake.
When I correct my students on spelling or grammar, I often hear a plaintive, ‘but you KNOW what I meant!’. My answer to this is three-fold.
Firstly, no, you can’t assume I know what you meant – there are many examples where incorrect spelling or grammar can confuse, and even completely change, the meaning of a sentence.
Second, poor writing distracts and detracts from the content you’ve written. Chances are, if you’ve taken the time to write something – however brief it may be – it’s because you want someone to read and understand it. So it’s counter-productive to then force your poor reader to work so hard to ‘get’ what you’re trying to say, that you risk them deciding they can’t be bothered.
Finally, any time someone reads something you’ve written, they’re not only receiving the messages you’ve intended – they’re also forming an opinion about you. In the same way a listener judges your body language while you’re speaking, a reader might be judging your skill as a writer as well as your value as a professional or employee more broadly, and even your individual personality traits.
Not creative writing, mind you. I don’t have ‘the great Australian novel’ inside my head, just waiting to be poured onto paper. No, short-form, non-fiction writing is what interests me. Feature articles in magazine and the like. While I’d never call myself a journalist (I don’t have the qualifications), I love to learn more about a subject – delve into the research, interview people, find the angle – and then tell the story in a way that really interests and engages people. It’s like getting a little snapshot of another life.
Fortunately for me and my fellow write-o-philes (?), and now that I’m established as a freelancer, one of the skills for which I’ve found the greatest need is writing. Whether producing content for a report, putting together a speech or writing for the web, it seems there is no shortage of demand for concise, reader-friendly writing.
Writing is also an area in which I know many of my colleagues – yes, even the professional communicators – often struggle and lack confidence. We all understand the frustration of knowing what you want to say, but not being able to find the right words to convey your message. Being a good writer is sometimes seen as a God-given talent; you either have it, or you don’t.
But I disagree. I think good writers are made as much as they are born, and I’ve seen the proof, as students, colleagues and friends have developed into excellent writers, over time.
Recently, as I prepared my notes for a writing class I teach, I started to think about what – in my humble opinion – makes a good writer.
Just in case they’re useful – and because it’s a(nother) excuse to write! – I‘ll share my thoughts with you here …
1. Be a good reader
If I could offer any budding writer just one piece of advice, it would be to read. Read voraciously. Consume every bit of information you can find, in as many different formats as you can. Read about subjects that interest you, but read information in formats that you want to write in, too.
This will help you to develop that crucially important instinct for how a piece of writing should read. What I mean by this is, how the lead paragraph of a magazine feature article should sound, versus the opening line of a speech, or a snappy post for social media. You’ll get a feel for what sounds right and what doesn’t – and that skill is priceless. You can learn all the rules in the book, but becoming familiar with good (and bad) examples of writing, in a range of different styles, will make a huge difference to your ability to write with flair.
When you develop that instinctive knowledge, of how to shape information to suit a particular channel or purpose, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a fantastic writer.
2. Be a good listener
This is particularly important if you’re writing in a professional context, in which case, you may be writing for someone else. In my career, I’ve found that most people have a pretty good idea of what they want in a piece of writing – even if they claim they don’t. So when you’re being briefed by your boss or a client, listen carefully to what they say they want from your work. Pay attention when they explain what’s ‘not quite right’, or what’s lacking, at the moment. Listen to the sorts of words they use, as these will give you an idea of the style and tone they’re after.
For example, words like ‘positive’, ‘active’ and ‘forward-thinking’ will help determine your sentence and paragraph structure. You probably don’t want to lead with a problem or a negative experience, in this example. It will also tell you what kind of language you should be using, in this case, avoiding sharp or jarring words that have negative connotations.
Listening skills are also very important when writing for other purposes too. Fail to listen properly, and you could miss a throwaway comment from an interview subject that would send your story in an entirely new and exciting direction. Don’t listen to a speech or script read out loud first, and you could inadvertently trip up your spokesperson with a word that’s difficult to read or pronounce under pressure.
As they say, you’ve got two ears and only one mouth for a good reason.
3. Recognise that writing is a skill
Because we learn to speak and read and write from such a young age, I think people think writing is something that should come to them ‘naturally’. They forget that writing – like any other skill, such as mastering a new computer program or participating in a sport – is something that can be learned and taught.
So don’t be too hard on yourself if you’re not ‘naturally’ a good writer. Some of the best writers in the world probably weren’t either, until they did enough writing to become quite good at it. Now, you may not be willing or able to dedicate the time and energy required to become a truly brilliant wordsmith, but that’s okay. You just need to be good enough. That is to say, you just need to reach that critical point where you’re able to get whatever is in your head down on paper (or screen), in a way that makes you happy.
Which leads me nicely to my next point: of course, accepting writing is a skill means it’s also something at which you can improve with effort and practise. Find opportunities to write in your current profession. You don’t have to sit down and churn out an article every night. Put a little more effort into crafting your social media posts – and see how your friends respond! Try writing a really succinct and articulate comment beneath an online news article that interested you. Pay more attention to how you come across in emails, and see if you can make any improvements.
Remember, good writing will always be a battle if you view it as something you switch ‘on’ and ‘off’. Bad habits are easy to develop, and hard to change. Work to develop and keep up the good habits instead.
4. Know the rules before you decide to break them.
Yes, I know the rules are a little different now, thanks to modern communication, and that texting and email communication has fundamentally changed the way we speak to each other. And I agree that language should be a dynamic, evolving thing that reflects shifts in our broader society. But I do think you should know all the rules, even if you’re going to (consciously) break them later. Know the basic tenets of grammar, or at least the ones you encounter on a regular basis. Learn to spell correctly so you’re getting it right most of the time, even if you still make the occasional mistake.
When I correct my students on spelling or grammar, I often hear a plaintive, ‘but you KNOW what I meant!’. My answer to this is three-fold.
Firstly, no, you can’t assume I know what you meant – there are many examples where incorrect spelling or grammar can confuse, and even completely change, the meaning of a sentence.
Second, poor writing distracts and detracts from the content you’ve written. Chances are, if you’ve taken the time to write something – however brief it may be – it’s because you want someone to read and understand it. So it’s counter-productive to then force your poor reader to work so hard to ‘get’ what you’re trying to say, that you risk them deciding they can’t be bothered.
Finally, any time someone reads something you’ve written, they’re not only receiving the messages you’ve intended – they’re also forming an opinion about you. In the same way a listener judges your body language while you’re speaking, a reader might be judging your skill as a writer as well as your value as a professional or employee more broadly, and even your individual personality traits.
Think about what poor spelling and grammar might say about the author. Lazy? Poor attention to detail? Careless? Then think about whether that’s really the impression of you that you want your boss, teacher, colleagues and friends to have. First impressions count.
