Improve your writing - Practice makes ... better

There are two factors that determine how good of a writer you are - talent and skill.

Talent. Well, we can sit here all day arguing about whether talent can be improved, whether or not you are born talented, and to what extent it can advance or hold back your creative limits.

But here is what I know beyond any doubt. Writing is also a skill and like any skill, you can improve  with practice.

I believe that any person, with practice and training - and of course some guidance - can become a skilled writer. This does not mean you'll start producing Hemingway, but it does mean you'll be able to clearly, concisely and professionally relay your message to your audience.

Here are some tips to improving as a writer:

• Write often. This can sometimes be hard to do, however, practice is vital. As a newspaper publisher, while I have no reporting duties, I make sure to write weekly editorials and blog postings to keep in practice. If you have moved into management, and copywriting is no longer one of your duties, perhaps you can still find time to write a press release, article or blog on a regular basis.
• Stretch your boundaries. I'm a published fiction writer (short stories). However, I will sometimes practice by writing poetry (which nobody ever needs to read!). This provides training in brevity, organization, style and the construction of passages in ways I'd normally not pursue.
• Get a mentor/reader. You need someone who will be honest and specific. My girlfriend claims not to be a writer, but I've found her input to be absolutely accurate 99% of the time. I love it when her e-mails responding to my request for her thoughts start with something like "Now, you are the expert, but....".
• Find the technique that works for you. Maybe you prefer to write initial drafts long hand. Maybe you can't go to page two until page one is flawless. Everyone has an approach that works well for them. Figure out yours and use it. For me, I throw everything on the page as fast as I can, then revise and refine over several drafts.
• Finally, study up. Sometimes you need to "go back to school." About three years ago, for kicks, I took an online "basic news writing course" offered by a press association. I've been writing for decades and part of me - perhaps an overly confident (arrogant?) part - thought, "I don't need this." However, the simple fact is that when I opened my mind to the training, it was valuable. There were some great reminders and I think I completed the course a better writer and reporter.

Next time I address the "improve your writing" topic, I'll provide some specific exercises I've used to help reporters improve their skills.