Professional writers have mastered the writing process, and you can, too – know that mastering the writing process is learning how to approach a blank page, generate ideas, fail, and start again until you have a final draft so learn these Benefits of Enhancing your Writing Abilities.
Enhancing your writing abilities is the act of learning the writing process and trusting in it.
In this article, we will explore four benefits of enhancing your writing abilities by learning the writing process.
Table of Contents
Confidently Write a Bad First Draft
So, you want to confidently express yourself through writing but find it challenging to put your thoughts onto the page.
We’ve all been there, even professional writers! hether you are trying to write a work email or practice explanatory writing, shedding a perfectionist mindset before you hit ‘submit’ will help you convey your ideas on the page.
The first step for easy expression through the written word is to get comfortable with drafting.
Your very first draft should be sloppy.
By the end of your first draft, you should think, “this is hilarious.
I would never let someone read this!”
It sounds absurd, but letting yourself have total creative freedom, even the freedom to fail, is the entire point of a first draft.
Steal Your Own Great Ideas
With a terrible first draft out of the way, now you can start to pick through for some semi-decent ideas.
Comb over your writing and pick out things you like and topics you want to explore in more detail.
Make a list of each idea and free write about them.
Free writing is an exercise that helps you get out of your head while turning your creative gears.
In this instance, we are free writing on ideas we established in our first draft.
First, you’ll set your timer for ten minutes.
Second, you will not lift your pen or stop writing until the timer sounds.
Third, You will allow yourself to explore any idea, even if it’s not usable later.
Even if you write “I am hungry” over and over again.
Free writing is about loosening up and letting ideas flow.
Express Yourself Clearly
Now, you have a list of ideas and thoughts surrounding them.
With your writing exercises out of the way, it’s time to think critically about the execution.
Let’s explore outlining.
Creating an outline for a book, or email sets professional writers apart from their peers.
Professional writers understand that meandering your way through a topic leads to confusion and incoherence.
The best part is that outlining is easy and only takes a few minutes.
Here is a simple paper outline you can modify to fit your needs:
- Introduction of topic
- Body paragraphs containing
- A topic sentence
- Supporting evidence
- A conclusion
- Conclusion
Use this simple outline to map your ideas, leading to a coherent conclusion.
Add Personality to Your Writing
When you have outlined your ideas, it’s time to start writing in full.
You might wonder, how do professional writers write with personality?
It comes down to practice.
Daily writing in a journal or on a blog will help flex your creative muscles and establish your writing voice.
Those who write frequently sound similarly on paper to how they sound in their head!
They have become used to using their everyday vocabulary on the page.
When writing your final draft, use a mix of formal and informal language.
Aim to express complex ideas with clarity and in fewer words.
Use a thesaurus for inspiration and a dictionary to increase your vocabulary but steer away from hard-to-pronounce words, rarely used words, or words you don’t understand well.
Summary
Enhancing your writing abilities will allow you to confidently express yourself through the written word, fully explore your ideas, gain new ideas, and increase your vocabulary.
Like most things, becoming a confident writer takes practice and diligence, but you might find you excel faster than you thought possible!
