What is Writing Skill ?
Writing skills are an important part of communication. Good writing skills allow you to communicate your message with clarity and ease to a far larger audience than through face-to-face or telephone conversations.
You might be called upon to write a report , plan or strategy at work ; write a grant application or press release within a volunteering role ; or you may fancy communicating your ideas online via a blog. And , of course, a well written resume with no spelling or grammatical mistakes is essential if you want a new job.
Skill improvement :
The good news is that writing is a skill which can be learned like any other. One trick for checking and improving your work is to read it aloud. Reading text forces you to slow down and you may pick up problems with the flow that your eye would otherwise skip over.
There are a number of areas to bear in mind as you write :
1. Think before you choose the medium in which you plan to publish.
2. Have a look at our page on Common Mistakes in Writing and Gender Neutral Language to help you avoid falling into some easy traps,
3. As well as grammar, spelling and punctuation, it’s important to remember your audience. Always write with your audience in mind.
This knowledge will help you to decide whether you need to write in a formal style or a more informal one, and will also help you to decide on a suitable structure.
Writing under certain circumstances :
1. Writing at Home :
Many people would say that the art of letter-writing is dying out. However, there are still many times when you need to put pen (or word processor) to paper. Writing at home means like writing letters to your family members or friends or to people whom you concern.
2. Writing in the Workplace :
Being able to write well is a skill which will get you a long way in the workplace, partly because it is fairly rare in many places. One skill that many people lack, especially in management and other professional environments is the ability to write in plain English. Taking the time to polish your writing skills is likely to pay off in the longer term, and learning how to write specific types of documents will also be useful. This includes writing a report , a business case , an executive summary and a press release.
3. Writing Job Applications :
At one time or another, most of us need to write a job application. Nowadays, job applications usually require a CV or resume , together with a really strong covering letter. A good LinkedIn profile will also help your application to stand out from the rest, as will managing your online presence effectively.
4. Writing for Study :
Apart from the workplace, you are most likely to need writing skills as part of a course of study, whether at college or university. You may, for example, need to write essays, a report, a research proposal or even a dissertation or thesis. These pieces of work are often very long, and need careful structuring and writing.
Methods of Writing :
1. Persuasive :
For this writing style, the writer is trying to convince the reader of the validity of a certain position or argument. Persuasive writing includes the writers’ opinions, and provides justifications and evidence to support their claims. Example - Letters of recommendation; cover letters; Editorial newspaper articles; argumentative essays for academic papers.
2. Narrative :
Often seen in longer writing samples, the purpose of this writing style is to share information in the context of a story. Narratives should include characters, conflicts, and settings.
Examples: Short stories; novels; poetry; historical accounts .
3. Expository :
This type of writing is used to explain a concept and share information to a broader audience. Expository writing provides evidence, statistics, or results and focuses on the facts of a certain topic. This type is not meant to express opinions. Examples: How-to articles; textbooks; business, technical, or scientific writing.
4. Descriptive :
This type of writing is used to depict imagery to create a clear picture in the mind of the reader. techniques such as similes, metaphors, allegory, etc to engage the audience. Examples: Poetry; fictional novels or plays.
Ways to Improve Your Writing Skills :
1. Make Writing a Daily Exercise :
Try to set yourself daily writing exercises – they need not be long-winded and time-consuming, even just committing yourself to writing a paragraph a day is enough! You can even partner up with someone else who also wants to improve their writing skills and read each other’s paragraphs to see where changes need to be made.
2. Read, Read, and Read Some More !
Incorporate daily reading into your writing exercises; maybe even make your practice paragraph a review or summary of what you read that day, taking different elements of the author’s writing style to develop your own voice.
3. Develop a Clear Message :
It is also important to think about your audience; what do they want to hear, and how would they like it to be conveyed? Do you need to take on a formal, or a more informal tone? Would using humor help develop your message, or should you get straight to the point in a more businesslike fashion? These are important considerations that need to be taken into account before you even begin the writing process.
4. Practice Sitting Down and Writing !
It may seem daunting, but remember that the hard work is now done! All you need to do is convince yourself that you are capable (which you are), sit down in front of your notebook or computer, and execute your communication!
5. Don’t delay writing. Get it done now :
When you start the habit of writing the most common problem that you are gon’na face is when to write ? So for that I will suggest keep a pen and small diary everytime with you or you can simply use any note taking app such as google notes on your smartphone if you are comfortable in taking notes in digital form.
6. Don’t Be Afraid to Say What You Think
Most content on the web is bland and dreadfully boring. This is because far too many bloggers focus on regurgitating the same news as everybody else without bothering to add their own opinions. Obviously you don’t want to fall afoul of libel laws, but that doesn’t mean you can’t (or shouldn’t) say what you think.
Very nice and precious rules for writing improvement.