Becoming an exceptional writer will take time and a sincere effort. Here are the 7 Habits that I believe contribute to making exceptional writers. Writing is a gift, and using this gift effectively will be one of the many things we will work on throughout the year.
1. Begin with one, strong idea—and stick to it.You can make yourself a better writer almost immediately by avoiding the biggest mistake people make: They try to cram too much into their writing. Less is more! Base your writing on a single, strong and interesting idea.
2. Write about what you know.Ideally, the people who read your work should learn something from that experience. Verify the facts you use. When you have to write about something you don't have all of the facts for, research until you are the expert.
3. Make an outline.Most 'bad' writing happens because not enough thought was put into the creation. Avoid this all together by making a basic outline first. This will help you stay on track and most importantly, on topic.
4. State your main idea in your first paragraph. If you have something important to say, make sure you say it at the beginning in your thesis statement. Support it with specifics information and conclude with a re-stating of your original thesis.
5. Remember: LESS IS MORE.A smaller, simpler word will serve you better than some fantastic synonym. The primary purpose of writing is not to impress: it is to communicate. Wherever you can, use the simplest, clearest words possible, and cut out unnecessary words and phrases.
6. Clean up your work.Here are three techniques you can use polish your work:
- "Proofread every sentence—from the top to the bottom, then to the bottom up. The initial proofread will help you find many errors. The second time, read your work the opposite way. Start with the last sentence and work backwards. You’re more likely to catch errors this way, because when you’re reading backwards it is much more difficult for your eye to jump ahead. Make sure you do this sentence by sentence, or it will not make any sense.
- Put it away for a day. When you come back to your writing later, you can see it with fresh eyes and notice things you never saw before such as typing errors or Over-wordy sentences.
- Read your piece out loud. If you find yourself catching your breath several times, your sentences are too long. CUT AND TRIM. If some of the phrases or sentences sound awkward, or sound strange to say out loud, REVISE until they sound right."
7. Read good writing.The books and magazines you read influence your writing much more than you think. If you would like to improve your writing skills,simply start by read well-written novels or stories. I can give you many excellent titles. You will see the difference in your writing style almost immediately.
In standard educational practices, they will stop here and explain how important writing is for someone on a personal level, and how it can help them in the future. This is quite true. However, I believe that the cultivation of writing on only the personal level is thinking too small. That being said, I felt it necessary to add my +1 to this list:
7+1. Glorify the Lord. Writing is a gift from God. It would be inconsiderate to out Lord and Savior if we did not give him the credit. He inspires us and is the reason for our very existence, let alone our talents as writers. The last habit of an exceptional writer is to acknowledge this. No list would be complete without Him. It is then the writer's responsibility to use that gift to glorify His kingdom. This will certainly not happen overnight, yet this accomplishment is quite within our grasp! Let us strive to become exceptional writers for God.
