Write every day. The secret to writing, like any other
skill, is to practice as much as you can. Except with writing, perfection or
expertise level is never reached because it is so intangible. That is the first
step to becoming a better writer. It doesn't matter if your grocery list
becomes a flash fiction story about the four-month-old apple in your fridge, or
if it’s an entire chapter to a story you are working on; just write a little
bit to get the juices going each day so you don’t have to fight the rust after
a long weekend away. It’s the most important thing you can do. There’s an old
saying that goes: “Eat every day that you practice,” and that should be applied
to writing as well.
Another way
to make less mistakes as a writer is to start the piece you are working on,
leave it for a day or two, and then come back to finish it. The only way ideas
fully form in one’s head is to let them ruminate and take shape. Almost all of
writing online is someone else’s unfinished idea. It’s critical that you let
your thoughts breath, like a nice glass of wine, before unleashing it onto the
world. Don’t rush; a well thought out idea is much better than an immediate
one.
Self-editing
seems to be the hardest task in writing, yet it helps the most in publication.
Spell-check is not 100%. So read your piece out loud, enunciating each
sentence, and see how it sounds. If some parts are clunky, chances are it needs
some work. If you find yourself yawning, throw something in there to spice it
up. And if you don’t know how to properly punctuate the sentence you are
trying, change it, or look it up. Do not wave your ignorance around for
everyone to laugh at; credibility is nearly impossible to earn back.
The last
two ways to make less mistakes are tied together. Be confident, and be
educated. Confidence is not something to easily taught, but it comes from
having solid grounding, which comes from being educated. Basically, do your
research. It makes you sound credible, it makes you sound intelligent, and it
makes you seem like you are worth reading. Also, it’s super easy to do.
Wikipedia is not an option; however, there are hundreds of online news sources
that want nothing but readership. If you want to talk about something
important, chances are they got to it first. So you must source it properly,
have something intelligent to say about it, and then you look like a champ.
These are just a few suggestions. The real final answer to how to make less
mistakes is practice and experience. So write daily, and learn from your
mistakes.
Other Suggested Reading
Other Suggested Reading
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