You don’t need to learn complex writing techniques to improve your work. Often, the biggest improvements come from making simple writing choices as you draft.
Small decisions as you write can make your sentences stronger, clearer, and easier to read.
You can always improve a first draft during editing, but developing a few good writing habits can reduce the amount of rewriting you need to do later.
If you want to learn how to write better, start by becoming aware of the small details that can improve your writing style and help your words connect more effectively with readers.
Your small writing choices make a big difference
Writing is a process of making decisions about every word you put on the page. It can be as simple as choosing between “ensure” and “make sure,” or between “but” and “however.”
It doesn’t matter whether you write quickly or slowly. Every word you use is the result of a decision-making process.
One of the fastest ways to improve your writing is to become more aware of the choices you make as you write.
Whenever I write, I rely on a set of writing habits that have served me well over the years.
As you’ll see from my list below, most of these habits are simple to remember and easy to put into practice.
I’ve written before about the temptation to edit while writing a draft. But this isn’t a list of editing tips.
Instead, it’s about the decisions you make while writing.
One of my most important habits is to pause and reconsider whenever I find myself about to write “there is” or “there are.”
That doesn’t mean I avoid these phrases at all costs. They are sometimes the best choice. But I only use them when they add something to the sentence.
And that’s the whole idea behind this article.
You have choices every time you write. The key is learning to make better ones.
10 Simple writing habits that improve your work
As you’ll notice as you read on, my list is not about writing mistakes. We all make mistakes, but correcting them is part of the editing process.
Instead, I’ll share ten decision points that you can consider as you write. Each point is a choice, not a rule, so there is no single “right” answer.
But by making more thoughtful choices, you can make your writing clearer, stronger, and more effective.
1. Question every “there is” and “there are” sentence
When you’re tempted to start a sentence with “there were,” “there are,” or “it was,” you are probably using a grammatical expletive.
The good news is that it’s usually easy to avoid.
Very often, you can simply delete it, or if not, find the real subject to start a sentence.
This is such a simple habit to adopt and will immediately help you write better sentences.
2. Is it the best verb?
Except for rare verbless sentences, you’re making writing choices about verbs with every sentence you write.
You don’t need to go to extremes to use stronger verbs, but some are often ripe for changing.
When you notice general verbs like have, go, come, put, give, or look, think about a more precise verb that would improve the sentence.
Instead of look, you could try watch, observe, inspect, or glance.
3. Should you split an infinitive?
A long time ago, I used to give this a lot of thought. But today, most readers don’t notice or care about split infinitives.
However, depending on your writing style or topic, you may want to consider changing the word order.
It’s usually easy to avoid a split infinitive, but it doesn’t always read naturally.
4. Check your paragraphs
This is a readability choice rather than a writing rule.
As you write, look at your paragraphs, and especially very long ones that create a big block of text.
Online readers are especially sensitive to large blocks of text.
If you can, split long paragraphs with a return to give them some breathing space.
On the other hand, if you notice a string of single-sentence paragraphs, you might want to pull them together if they are on the same point.
5. Choose your sentence lengths
Like paragraphs, sentences can be either too short, too long, or too similar.
While sentences are often clearer when they focus on one main point, applying contrast or condition can sometimes make for very long sentences.
The most important choice you can make is to vary your sentence structures.
If you see three short sentences in a row, consider combining two. Apply the same logic to three long sentences in a row. Try dividing one long sentence into two shorter ones.
6. Remember your habit words
Every writer has crutch words that seem to pop onto a page without thinking.
I know mine are just, so, and really. Hopefully, I’ve avoided the temptation to use them in this article.
Make a mental note of three or four of your habit words, and it will save you from editing them out later.
7. Active voice always?
You’ve probably read a hundred writing advice articles about avoiding the passive voice at all costs.
But that’s not necessarily the case. When you’re writing about a general truth, or in fiction, using it for suspense, the passive voice is often the better choice.
It’s also quite common in technical and scientific writing.
But yes, generally, the active voice is a better choice to make, especially in opinion and informational writing.
8. The truth about adverbs
Adverbs are always a topic that divides writers. Some love them, and some loathe them.
My opinion is that any form of writing needs adverbs because they serve the necessary function of modifying verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.
But it’s true that too many can weaken a piece of writing. When you notice an adverb modifying a verb, decide if you can use a stronger verb instead.
It’s also a good habit in dialogue writing in fiction. Do you need an adverb to modify the dialogue tag verb?
9. Do I need this fluff word?
I won’t make a list here because it would be far too long.
But fluff words are filler words and phrases that add little or no value.
Good examples are: “In the event that,” “As to whether,” or “It’s possible that.”
You don’t need to remove or replace every instance, but avoiding too many of them is usually a good move.
10. Be consistent with your choices
If you use the serial or Oxford comma, or US or UK spelling, use them consistently.
It also applies to your level of formality. For most forms of writing, you’ll use an informal style. That means using contractions like “I’m,” “she’s,” or “I’d have.”
If so, only use uncontracted forms for emphasis.
Another element is your vocabulary. Don’t be tempted to use big, long, complex words if your writing style is friendly and warm.
This also applies to formatting choices, such as heading styles, quotation marks, and punctuation.
Whatever choices you make, consistency helps readers focus on your ideas instead of your writing.
Summary
Every writer is different, so it’s impossible to define a set of rules all writers should use.
However, you can certainly apply some practical guidelines you can follow to make your writing process easier and smoother.
The points I’ve covered pretty much apply to all writers, but the decisions and choices will definitely differ.
You don’t need to write out a long list. Simply keep a few of these ten points in mind when you next sit down to write and see what a difference it makes.
For me, I try to use all of them, but my top three are always the expletive, passive voice, and varying sentence length for variety.
Hopefully, I’ve applied these in this article.
Related Reading: How To Tell When Your Writing Draft Is Finished
English teacher, writer, and author. Passionate about grammar, creative writing, and self-publishing. Always exploring new tools and tech to help writers succeed.
