Improve The Quality of Your Writing in Less Than One Minute

• After you run your spell checking software, go back and re-read your text. A small number of people are good spellers, which is why so many of us rely on spell checking software. Unfortunately, spell checkers have their own flaws and from time to time flag ridiculous errors. For example, the words ‘form’ and ‘from’ are both good, valid words. But if you wrote a business letter that said, ‘We took $200 form your checking bank account to cover the payment,’ most spell checkers won’t catch that slip. Yet this simple typo changed the meaning of the sentence. Spell checkers are a convenience; they are neither authoritative nor infallible, so don’t rely on them. Always read through your writing at least once after you spell check — and keep a dictionary handy.

• Use that popular ‘KISS’ principle for your punctuation. You know the rule, don’t you? “Keep It Simple, Stupid.” Apply this rule to punctuation. If you don’t know how or when to use a semicolon, then avoid semicolons; you’ll only display lack of knowledge if you get it wrong. In keeping with that KISS principle, limit your use of commas. Far too many people use far too many commas. Just because a sentence is long does not mean it needs a comma. Well-placed commas make reading easier. Commas thrown in simply to break up words are wrong and distracting. Another important rule of punctuation is to avoid using exclamation marks, almost always. If your choice of words, sentence structure, and overall prose don’t communicate the sense of excitement you are seeking, then using an exclamation mark won’t do it. If your writing communicates your sense of excitement, an exclamation point is, well, pointless.
• Make sure your text is grammatically correct. You don’t need the skills of an English professor to use correct grammar. You simply need to learn the basics — verbs and subjects agree in number, for example. That is, ‘he was’ is correct; ‘they were’ is correct. To say ‘they was’ is incorrect. If you are not sure about using grammar, especially if English isn’t your ‘first’ language, go to some good reference sites for basic English grammar and usage. (If you are writing in another language, the same advice holds true for that language.) Invest in a good, basic grammar book. Check with any bookstore, online or offline, and you can find one.
• When you finish some writing, put it aside for a couple of hours or days, then re-read it before you let go of it. Of course, if you’re writing or dictating a business letter or other ‘time-sensitive’ article, this may not be possible. If you set your article or story aside for a day, then re-read it, you may notice obvious errors or want to make significant changes. And you thought before you had finished. Many writers and professors have commented that all true writing is done in the rewriting. Take that advice to heart and you will considerably improve your writing.

These four steps, rechecking your spelling, taking care with punctuation, watching for basic grammar errors, and rewriting, will improve your writing. They are verified tools used by every wordsmith.