Anyone can write, it’s just a matter of whether or not you want to commit to the most tedious, irritating, and yet occasionally pleasurable and rewarding experience out there.

Writing is very much a continuous process. We all start out as weak, awkward, and uncertain writers. The uncertainty doesn’t quite leave most, but there are a few tips I’ve found that have worked (and still work) for me. 

1) Read a lot. You’ll absorb lots of extra words that way. 

2) Keep a journal, and write down new words you learn. Bonus points if you include an example sentence. Personally, like a total nerd, I’ve dedicated myself to learning five words every day.

3) Practice your grammar. There’s lot of sites you can test yourself with. I also recommend plugging in your drafts into online grammar checkers.

4) Recognize that your old writing will always look awful in retrospect. That’s the point of writing. You’re always improving. What I try to do is focus on how much I’ve improved rather than how much I lacked. (Admittedly, I struggle with this as a perfectionist).

5) Try to write something every day. Start small, such as a paragraph, and then gradually begin pushing yourself to write more. It’s something similar to building up cardio, but with your mind. 

6) Also remember that quality should be prioritized over length. Don’t be fancy, be concise. Think to yourself about whether the reader would want to read that large chunk of fluff you just constructed. Chances are, they don’t. Get to the point. Be active through action and dialogue, and balance it with complementing (not overriding) descriptions.

7) Don’t push yourself. Not everyday is going to be the same. I’ve found that mood has been a big factor in the quality of my writing. If you know your writing’s not going to be up to par, stop, take a break, and come back to it with a fresh eye and mind. 

8) Enough with the overcomplicated language. Yes, we get it! Perhaps you know big words! But if a sentence is so dense that I have to question life itself, cut it out. This is different from private writing in that you have to consider what level of language your readers will be able to appreciate and understand.

9) Said is your friend. There’s literally nothing wrong with it. As you begin writing more, you’ll grow more comfortable using it. Using too many synonyms to overcompensate is something I’ve seen in writers who lack confidence in the rest of their writing.

10) Break up your paragraphs. A wall of words guards against a coherent structure and flow to the writing.