Improving your writing is a gradual process. It’s all about learning to adapt your own writing style and creating a smooth, professional piece.

Sometimes, it can be frustrating.

With writing, every piece marks another opportunity to improve. And improvement isn’t limited to varying sentence structures, constructing a catchy opening and mastering grammar rules.

So what can help you improve your writing, regardless of skill level?

Read more to learn about improving your writing strategies.

1. Spend More Time Reading

Improvement may not be measured only by varied sentence structures and proper grammar, but there is one way that you can achieve both of those things: reading more.

Reading and absorbing well-written pieces from other writers can help you evaluate your own writing.

This doesn’t mean that you should plagiarize from writers you like. But the more you read, the more your vocabulary will expand. Your eyes will be opened to creative avenues you hadn’t considered before. You’ll start to learn what you do and don’t like, and how you want to improve.   

Essentially: treat writing not as an obligation, but as an opportunity to learn something new.

2. Get Inspired

You might be familiar with hearing “there’s no such thing as writer’s block.”

This is partially true. The roadblock most often cited as a problem for writers is rarely called what it really is: a lack of inspiration.

You can feel passionate, enthusiastic or dedicated to something without being inspired by it. Being inspired is not the appreciation for a well-written piece or a cool topic. It’s the spark that makes you look at something and decide, “I want to create something of my own.”

In a workplace environment, you might assume that because you have to write about a topic for a press release on a deadline, you won’t feel inspired by it. But that’s where inspiration becomes important, because content you're invested in will help you produce a better final product.

There’s no limit to the resources you can use to inspire you. Brainstorm with colleagues or dig around to see what angles past writers have taken, so you can craft your own. Or you could just open a document and write down everything you think about. You are creative enough to do it.

Never rule out your ideas or discount the value of feeling inspired to take ownership of your ideas.

3. Ask for Help

Asking for help goes hand-in-hand with strategies for finding inspiration. Talk to people around you about topics, wording or structure.

Co-workers can bring a new set of eyes to your piece and catch something you’ve missed, no matter what your skill level is. (This also goes nicely with the old cliché that “only you can write your story.” It’s true that everyone approaches writing differently!)

Other resources can be helpful, too, like reading your piece out loud. Generally, doing whatever you can to view your writing in a new light will help you see something new, and it’s worth a shot.

And, of course, there’s the well-worn advice: practice, practice, practice.

Learn more tips for creating content by downloading our e-Book.