Six tips to improve your writing online

Depending on who you ask, typing is either an arduous craft that takes years to develop, or something that anyone with a keyboard can easily turn into a million-dollar enterprise. As with most controversies, so with writing: both sides are wrong.

Yes, you can start writing right now and there are plenty of places to do it. Free websites like Blogger.com will allow you to get started without even investing in a domain name. But unless he is an exceptionally gifted writer, he need not worry too much about the risk of ladies swooning over the stark beauty of his prose after a few minutes of work on his part.

The good news is that you don’t have to be an impromptu Chaucer or an impromptu Hemingway. Writing is a skill that improves over time if you apply a few basic principles.

1. write something every day There is something about writing that makes writing easier. I can’t tell you what it is, but I can tell you that when I write a lot, I find it easier to write even more. Ideas take shape. Connections form.
2. Writing is one step, editing is another In general, your writing direction should be forward. Writing quickly helps you avoid the internal editor, who would otherwise want to wreak havoc on your brilliant ideas (that’s the kind of person your internal editor is). This isn’t to say that you can’t go back from time to time if you come across a killer phrase that just can’t hold up as is, but make it a rule to try to save most of your edits for last. Tell your internal editor that you’ll be happy to let him go to work as soon as you’re done playing.
3. keep score A wonderful writing exercise is to try to count your time and your words. Just make a note of when it starts and stops, or use a stopwatch or stopwatch software. Many word processors and blogging tools have a word counter that you can use. If all else fails, copy and paste the finished product into one that does. There’s something about seeing your word count every day that helps you stick to your writing schedule, and there’s something about seeing the number of articles or stories increase over a few weeks that really helps keep you motivated. Set up a simple spreadsheet in Excel and track your progress. (Hint: don’t look at the clock while you write, when you’re writing, write!)
4. get a diary Although I spend the day in front of a keyboard, I find it useful to write down the basic ideas of the articles in an old-fashioned paper journal. Also, sometimes I need to draw something visually, and writing by hand seems to work better for doing this than a drawing program. You don’t have to spend the day “writing in a journal”, just have a book where you can jot down a quick idea from time to time, because if you write often, you will have many.
5. Set goals I find that when I set a specific goal for the coming week and remind myself of my goal in the morning, I write more. I try to make my goal a bit challenging, but not really out of reach given my current numbers (remember, we’re keeping score).
6. be kind to yourself No matter what profession you choose for yourself, life is going to happen to you. Physicians have to meet with pharmaceutical salesmen, even if their great love is working with patients. Writers are no different. You’ll still need to do your taxes, get the kids to school, and whatever else you need to do as part of the business of life. If you have a particularly tiring day of interruptions, don’t try to stick to the same schedule as you would if you had a day off to write.