How to Make Your Written Work Shine!

We all need to put words down in writing at some point in our lives. Whether it is an email, a work report, a school assignment, a text message, or even just a post on social media, each one of us, at some point in our lives, has to put together a group of written words that should, in theory, make sense to the person who will eventually read them.

Most of us are not born natural writers, able to just start penning words that flow easily and eloquently. I discovered that talent in my early years, however, and to this day, I am able to string sentences together with a natural flair that often deserts me when I am trying to express myself verbally. Put me in front of an audience to deliver an impromptu speech, and my mind turns into a bottomless void. But give me a blank paper to write an eloquent speech for you, and I will compose it in no time at all.

Years of writing has also gifted me with a knack for avoiding—and detecting—common errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar. As they say, practice does make perfect!

There is nothing worse than presenting a piece of written work that is riddled with mistakes. Even something as simple as a text message or a comment on social media should be free of error, if you want to get your message across properly. Mistakes can make your comment illegible, difficult to understand, and less credible. People reading your written text will be distracted by these errors and will doubtlessly be more focused on pointing them out to you, rather than actually taking in what you have to say.

If the written work is a professional email, a university thesis, or an article for a website, it is even more important to present a body of work that is completely precise and impeccably written. Of course, to err is human, and it is easy to miss the occasional typo or grammatical mistake. But, if you are trying to impress a potential employer, your course tutor, or your online audience, it is crucial that your written work is as perfect as possible. Anything less will make you seem unprofessional and even incompetent.

What are the main points you should keep in mind when writing?

So, you sit down in front of your laptop, ready to begin typing your article, assignment, or dissertation. You’ve done your research, you have numerous ideas floating around in your head, and you want to put it all down into what you hope will be an outstanding piece of work. And most times, it is! But, if the information you are providing is written unprofessionally, then the only outstanding work will be the mistakes you left in it.

There are three main elements that you must always remember before submitting your written work.

1. Avoid spelling mistakes.

This may be pretty obvious, but when you consider that many errors in spelling can easily escape your notice, it is vital to scan your written text over and over until you eliminate them all. There are numerous apps that can help detect mistakes, but the problem with these apps is that they do not catch every single one. For example, if you write “their” instead of “there”, or “your” instead of “you’re”, the app might not spot the error, since all these words actually exist and are not as easy to catch as, say, writing “theree” or “yuo’re”.

Even if you do not use an app, it is quite easy to overlook these typos. If your work is inaccurately written, your message might not be delivered properly, or you may lose essential grades. Brush up on your vocabulary, know your grammar, and train yourself to avoid these common mistakes, so as to produce a polished piece that your reader will be able to understand easily.

2. Learn how to use commas.

Some people rarely use them. Others use too many of them. But it is an undisputed fact that commas are extremely useful to clarify what you are trying to convey in your composition of words. Without them, sentences are long and ambiguous, and lists are undefined and obscure.

Essentially, commas define independent ideas or sentences, they separate an introductory word or clause from the main sentence, and they are placed in between coordinate adjectives describing the same noun. They also come in handy when writing speech, as well as for lists, numbers and dates, addresses, and geographical names, among many other uses.

A particular point of contention is the infamous Oxford comma, which is the final comma in a list of words just before the word 'and'. Some writers consider it redundant, especially when the series of words is straightforward. In fact, both of these examples are acceptable in written work.

However, the use of the Oxford comma is definitely encouraged in more complex structures, notably when more than three words are listed or in the case of lengthy phrases. Therefore, the following examples should both include the Oxford comma.

Ultimately, it is up to the writer whether to include it or not. However, consistency throughout the whole body of work is key. I personally prefer to add it every time to avoid disparity.

3. Do not write in the same way as you speak.

It is perfectly acceptable to use short phrases in our speech, as shown in the following example.

However, when you are writing, you must always use full sentences. Otherwise, your work will look disjointed and, possibly, make no sense.

One exception to this is when you are actually writing speech in a work of fiction. In this case, using brief phrases will make your characters more realistic and interesting to readers, who will be able to identify more easily with them.

So, before you start penning your next assignment, polish up your spelling and vocabulary, learn the different uses for all punctuation marks, and make sure the sentences you compose are accurate and coherent.

And if all else fails, just hire a writer or proofreader to do it all for you!

Visit my homepage for all the information you require regarding the services I offer for all your writing needs.