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by travis bickle on August 12th, 2006

travis bickle

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How can I improve my poor writing skills?

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Answers. 8 helpful answers below.

  • by JustAnotherDeadPoet on February 21st, 2007

    JustAnotherDeadPoet

    Read and write and read and write and read and write and read and write and read and write and read and write and read and write and read and write and read and write and read and write and read and write...
    There's nothing better than practice. Taking a course would help you improve your techniques, but practice makes perfect.

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  • by Jodie44 on February 21st, 2007

    Jodie44

    Satine, you assume your writing skills are poor, but they're not. I don't know how else to say it. They're just not. I recently helped a friend grade term papers for a class and I saw 26 examples of poor writing in all its sad glory. These were college-level term papers. It's probably safe to assume that most of the students gave it what they thought was a good shot.

    Your worst effort on Answerbag is better than the best of what I just read. I'm serious. I've read your writing. You have a long, long way to fall before you even think of writing something like this: "It is best to check every component used in the construction of a system as it may save them a lot of pain later of a future faulty component or something other than that."

    That is poor writing, Satine. Or how about, "This is why a person designing the network needs to decide what the needs are and why those needs are needed."

    Need I say more?

    That said, you can always improve. As Darkling advised, “Practice, practice, practice.” I can’t improve upon her answer, but I do want you to realize you’re better than you think you are.

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  • by guizmo40 on August 13th, 2006

    guizmo40

    READ, READ, READ, it will help develop your vocabulary.....

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  • by Darkling on August 12th, 2006

    Darkling

    Taking a course is helpful but it isn't the only way. Find someone who is better at writing than you are and ask them to proof read your work with you. Ask them to explain any corrections where you don't see the problem. Grammar is just a bunch of stuffy rules about what happens in different lingual situations. Once you start to memorize the rules, your writing will improve. It's gotten to the point for me where I can't remember the specific rules but a sentence may not look right and I'll reword it.

    Another tip I use to help the flow of my writing is to read it to myself out loud. A lot of times this will help me catch more things than just looking at it over and over. I have a problem with run on sentences so I know that if I run out of breath reading one sentence, I should probably break it into two :)

    You should also find a good reference book that you can look something up in when you have a question. I've been using Keys For Writers by Ann Raimes http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0618437851/sr=1-1/qid=1155445221/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-0113790-0799204?ie=UTF8&s=books but there may be something better out there. One nice thing about it, though, is that it also tells you how to do citations in case you have to write a research paper.

    Finally, one of the best ways to improve your writing skills is to practice. Try to write a little bit every day. As you learn the rules and apply them, you should be able to see a big difference between something you wrote a month ago and something you wrote today.

    ===Update===
    I found a site that has common grammar mistakes and what to do about them http://englishplus.com/grammar/mistcont.htm

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  • by erictlenox on February 22nd, 2007

    erictlenox

    I would CHAT in the CHAT rooms, each day you start a convesation with a new online friend. You'll learn fast, there are a lot of people out there who love to point out grammical mistakes on the internet. That is good practice.

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  • by Aelfward on February 21st, 2007

    Aelfward

    What makes you think you have poor writing skills? Your answers and questions don't seem to indicate that is the case.
    If you mean by "poor writing skills" that you are having trouble constructing an essay or trouble writing a story that you don't feel is stupid, then studying out how good authors phrase things, making lists of whys and wherefores, and bloody-minded persistence are essential in improving.

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  • by marylovesraul on August 12th, 2006

    marylovesraul

    TAKE A ENGLISH COURSE

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  • by martinwright on June 8th, 2010

    martinwright

    Poor writing skills can make it difficult for your child to get a higher education or to get and maintain a decent job. Helping your child improve his writing skills helps them to organize their thoughts, gives them
    a sense of accomplishment, and improves their ability to learn across the board.
    * The best way to start developing your child's writing skills is by setting an example for him to follow. Just as children whose parents are readers are more apt to become readers themselves, children whose parents
    write also tend to view writing as a viable means of communication. Let your children see you write on a daily basis whether that is making lists, writing short notes, or emailing a friend.
    * Show your child that writing is both personally satisfying and enjoyable. Show your child a picture and have them tell you a story about that picture. Write the story down and make it into a book for your child.
    They will be thrilled to have a book based on their story! As they get older, have them begin to write their own stories. Let them keep a copy and give a copy to grandparents or Aunts and uncles as gifts. This will not only encourage
    them to write but give them feedback on their stories.
    * Another way to encourage your child to write is by helping to find them a pen pal their own age. Not only will your child enjoy writing about his life and family to someone his own age but he will enjoy getting mail from
    someone else.
    * Another way to encourage your child to write is by helping to find them a pen pal their own age. Not only will your child enjoy writing about his life and family to someone his own age but he will enjoy getting mail from
    someone else.
    * Have your child put special requests in writing. For example if he wants a pet have him write out why he would like one and what he will do to care for it. But make sure that you are going to seriously consider his request,
    otherwise, he will not be encouraged to write if he knows the answer is going to be no in advance.

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