How To Improve Your Writing Skills In An Audio-visual World

Need to improve your English writing skills but not sure how? Read our top tips on how to practise writing on your own!

Technology plays such a vital part in the way we communicate today and we`re surrounded by so much audio-visual content that finding ways to improve your writing skills may seem like a losing battle. Why write something lengthy when you could simply send a quick message instead? This might be why language learners often find it particularly challenging when they are faced with the task of writing a long essay for an English exam, like IELTS or TOEFL, or university assignments, or an important e-mail to a client at work. But if you really want to improve your writing skills, there are still a few ways you could do this—all that`s needed is a little time and dedication. Let`s look at how you can do it...

Use technology to your advantage

Improving your writing skills certainly doesn`t mean turning your back on technology—it simply means using it to help yourself. Prefer typing instead of using a pen and paper? Go for it! Most exams offer a computerised version these days anyway, and the majority of businesses communicate via e-mail. And you don`t even need to have your laptop with you to practise your writing skills—you could use your mobile phone if you really wanted to! You might be sitting on the train on your way to work with nothing to do—why not get out your phone and start writing in your notes? But you might be wondering what you could write about, which brings us to the next point...

Find a purpose

Writing just for the sake of it isn`t very inspiring, so it`s important to have a reason for writing. For example, if you want to practise writing work e-mails, choose a purpose for writing—maybe you need to persuade a colleague to do something for you, or to make a request, or perhaps to ask a business parter for an update. Any of these purposes will help you to focus your writing in a certain direction. Or let’s say you want to practise your writing for an exam. The purpose of your writing will be indicated in the question type. So if it’s an opinion essay, for example, your purpose would be to show the reader your point of view. Alternatively, if it’s a film review, your purpose is not only to give your opinion but also to provide descri ptions, so you`ll need to think of interesting adjectives, adverbs and phrases to use in your writing.

Variety is key

And once you`ve started writing, try experimenting with different styles. That way you`ll avoid being stuck in a groove. If you`re preparing for an exam, perhaps work on essays one week, reviews the next, and e-mails the week after that. It`s also a good idea to vary the vocabulary you use. Have you learnt a new word this week? Try to include it in your next piece of writing. Are all of your sentences quite short? Focus on writing longer sentences of two lines or more by using two linking words like `although` and `in spite of`. That way, what you write will gradually become more complex and of a higher standard.

Get personal

Another way of making the writing process easier is by writing about something that is relevant to your real life. This could mean writing about true experiences you`ve had or about events happening around you—anything that you can relate to. Because if your writing comes from a personal place, you`ll have more ideas and be less likely to give up! You could do this by keeping a diary, where you write about your daily activities and thoughts, or by creating a blog where you can write about your passions. Interested in photography? Food? Travel? Write about it! You`ll be giving yourself a chance to improve your skills and enjoy it at the same time.

Edit and edit again

Another key tip is making sure that you check your work. It sounds like one of those boring things your teachers used to say at school, doesn`t it? But they were right! Even native speakers sometimes make spelling mistakes or miss a word here and there when writing. All of which can be avoided by simply double-checking that everything looks OK. And when it comes to writing in a foreign language, it`s easy to make simple mistakes that you know are wrong but you forget about when you`re concentrating on writing your ideas down. Have you used apostrophes correctly? Have you put an `s` on present tense verbs in the third person? Go back and read your writing again. And if possible, get someone else who speaks English to read what you’ve written—they might notice something you haven`t. You could ask someone who has studied English as well. Or even your tutor at Britcent!

Be consistent

And last but not least, it`s essential that you write as often as possible and stick to a regular routine of some kind. This could mean writing a little each day first thing in the morning or last thing at night, or writing three times a week when you`re on your lunch break at work. Find something that works for you, so that you don`t fall into the trap of leaving long gaps between each time you write, and gradually giving up altogether. Consistency is the key to noticing an improvement and feeling more confident in your skills.

So the next time you`re looking for ways to improve your English writing skills, why not experiment with the tips mentioned here? Happy writing!