Most people mistakenly believe that writing is just writing – putting down on paper whatever goes through your mind and that’s it. If it were as simple as that, everybody would be a writer! Writing, first and foremost is communicating one’s ideas to as many people as possible. This requires careful thought, structure, sensible choice of words and the ability to express not to impress!
To write effectively requires keeping your readers interested in order to be able to communicate with them clearly and to keep reading until they have finished reading the complete article.
Creativity, clarity, and simplicity are the three main ingredients of effective writing. However, not all people are naturally gifted with these three important qualities of effective writing. All is not lost, since each and every one of us can learn on our own how to employ creativity, clarity and simplicity in getting our messages and thoughts across to others.
What should you do in order to be able to write effectively?
- Begin by keeping a journal of ideas, thoughts, events and happenings wherever you go. Do not trust your memory to remember everything whenever you see or encounter something that draws you interest – it can be a resource of endless ideas that you can write about.
- Set a time to review and analyze your journal. Begin by relaxing and sorting things out as clearly as possible and write about what you have written down using the simplest words possible. DO NOT force yourself learn to write at your slow pace for starters. Don’t worry, as you go along, you will be able to write in a flowing manner. Find out what makes you write easily. Is it by listening to mood music? Is it after cleaning your work area? Is it when you feel good? Identify your triggers and learn to overcome or muster them at will in order to be able to write any time you need to write.
- Look around at your work place – is it conducive to writing? Make sure to create an atmosphere that allows you to compose your thoughts legibly and fluently so that you can write effectively. Do not allow your thoughts to be distracted. If necessary, tell your children not to disturb you or to give you the necessary time and space in order to be able to write.
- Make yourself as comfortable as possible. If that means wearing slippers and tank tops, so be it. If you need to have a cup of coffee or a bottle of beer to get you going – get yourself one! However, make sure that drinking alcohol does not become a crutch to let you write. An effective writer does not need mood inducing drinks or substances in order to write effectively since control is lost right at the onset.
- Take a hike or walk through the woods and just let everything hang loose. You have to be able to learn how to switch your creative juices at will in order to be effective at getting your message across to other people – especially people whom you have never met or will probably never meet in your lifetime.
Never allow yourself to fall into a rut! This is the best way to loose a creative trend or the ability to write and communicate effectively. Always give yourself the necessary break, even for five minutes in order to recharge your senses and get your feet back on the ground.
