professional writing techniques

An editor does so much more than check your spelling and punctuation. He or she will make sure your work as a whole makes sense, that you’ve stayed on topic, and that each sentence is concise and leads expertly to the next one. They will question your assumptions and point out weaknesses in your arguments to help you create the best content possible.

Don’t skip this step. Another pair of eyes can find those niggling bits that your brain keeps skimming over. If you don’t have a trusted co-worker or peer with impeccable writing skills who’s willing to read your work, consider hiring a freelance editor. It will save you embarrassment in the long run and help you learn how to write like a pro.

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87 Advanced Business Writing Tips [That Actually Work]

Table of Contents

1. know your audience, 2. prime questions, 3. think first, 4. most time is planning, 5. drafting is easy, 6. editing time, 7. plan first, then draft, 8. woody allen is right about writing, 9. concept maps are essential for business writers, 10. develop headings, 11. start where it's easiest.

• 12. How to jump in and out

13. Back up when you get stuck

14. hire a coach, 15. paragraphs seven lines or less online, 16. dangling expressions are funny but avoid them, 17. use regular words to avoid non-sexist writing, 18. headings will allow your readers to scan easily, 19. make it easy for your reader to scan, 20. use format to indicate hierarchy, 21. write to express, not to impress, 22. concise writing is skilled writing, 23. use short words, 24. use staccato short words to grab attention, 25. winston churchill wisdom, 26. verbs = energy, 27. use precise verbs, 28. don't smother verbs, 29. verbs used right bring clarity, 30. how to cut 20%–25% of bloat, 31. "take" near a verb is smothered, 32. "give" near a verb is smothered, 33. "have" near a verb is smothered, 34. "make" near a verb is smothered, 35. "conduct" near a verb is smothered, 36. "come" near a verb is smothered, 37. "-ion or -ment" near a verb is usually smothered, 38. avoid wimpy verbs, 39. avoid redundancy, 40. don't start sentences with "there is" or "there are.", 41. active voice is better than passive voice, 42. use reader-focused wording, 43. avoid jargon, 44. be polite. it echoes., 45. own your work, 46. use standard grammar, even when challenging, 47. how to dodge awkward his or her dilemma, 48. the right amount of information helps the reader and writer, 49. equal respect matters, 50. avoid exclusionary words, 51. confident tone tip, 52. take a course, 53. an exclamation point is already superlative.

• 54. Use clear words rather than emphasis punctuation

55. Editing first step

56. editing second step, 57. editing third step, 58. break paragraphs frequently, 59. paragraph length is varied, 60. designate an editor for group documents, 61. planning eases editing, 62. editing can't compensate for poor planning, 63. how to proofread a colleague's document, 64. punctuation matters, 65. avoid run-on sentences, 66. avoid sentence fragments, 67. use hypens correctly, 68. me, myself and i, 69. use clause commas correctly, 70. grammar errors are individual, 71. wide-ranging grammar training won't help, 72. best grammar resource, 73. best grammar analysis, 74. best business grammar resource, 75. oxford comma yes or no, 76. grammar rules are inflexible, 77. grammar rules are flexible, 78. my recommendation on the prescriptivist vs. descriptivist divide, 79. best grammar and editing tool, 80. cut the bloat, 81. best tool you already have, 82. tone analyzer, 83. jargon detector, 84. free concept mapping tool, 85. how to easily learn concept mapping, 86. hire the better writer, 87. subscribe to our blog, bonus: 19 actionable writing tips infographic.

I'm excited to share these top 87 business writing tips with you. They were honed while I studied English Literature and Rhetoric, taught writing at the university level, and worked with thousands of individuals and hundreds of companies to help people write better at work. Many of these tips come directly from our award-winning online business writing courses . 

My hope is these tips help you enjoy writing, improve your business communications, get ahead in your career, and grow your business!

Business writing is all about your reader. Your reader is your focus point, not what you know.

Before you write anything, ask yourself these two questions:

1. Who is my reader? 2. What do I want this reader to know or do?

If you can’t answer these two questions, stop. Don’t write the document because it has no purpose.

Business writing is just as much about thinking as it is about writing.

You should spend approximately 50% of your time planning a business document or email.

Drafting a document is the easiest part and should require approximately 20% of your time.

Allocate 30% of your time to editing.

Accept that you want to draft more than you want to plan a document or email. Everyone does. Drafting gives us a (sometimes false) sense of accomplishment. And, drafting is easier than planning.

Woody Allen calls the planning portion of writing the “pace the floor” part. If you are an analytical thinker, which many business writers are, this is natural for you, but accept that sometimes it makes your brain hurt as your mind has to figure out all the interconnections.

Mapping the structure of a complex document will make both planning and drafting much easier.

When you plan your documents, write a heading for each main section of your document. Don’t worry about the wording of the heading as you are planning to document, but verify that you can encapsulate the content of that section into a heading. If you can’t, your content is murky so fix it now before you waste time editing the language when the real problem is disorganization.

You don’t have to begin writing a document or email at the first sentence. The first sentence is often the hardest sentence to write. Instead, look at your document headings and write the section that is easiest or most interesting for you. Once you begin writing, the interconnectivity of thoughts will ignite, and the rest of the document will be easier to write.

12. How to jump in and out  

In real life, business writers don’t have the luxury of a half-day of uninterrupted writing time. To maximize your efficiency, refer to the map or outline you created, decide which section you can tackle in the time you have, and start drafting. Having a map and headings will prevent you from having to re-engage your thinking all over again each time you exit and enter the document.

The best recommendation given to me during my years of rhetorical studies was: “The secret of writing is knowing when to back up. Don’t try to edit and polish before something is fully drafted. Don’t try to draft before your thoughts are clear. When you get stuck, back up!” As a business writer, this has saved me lots of frustration.

Hire a business writing coach and receive personalized feedback. One-on-one sessions will help you gain confidence in your writing and communication skills.

In email or other documents that will be read online, be certain your paragraphs aren’t longer than seven lines. (Lines, not sentences.) Any longer than that and readability studies show that your readers just see a big block of text and jump over it.

Dangling expressions commonly creep in documents in bullets and when copying and pasting. 

Example: David Corcoran wrote the project plan while traveling to Atlanta on the back of an envelope.  (Who knew one could travel on an envelope?)

Get practical instructor feedback that takes your business writing to the next level.

Enroll in our Effective Business Writing Techniques course, and master your bedrock business writing skills today.

Avoid awkward non-sexist constructions like his/her and s/he. Instead, write out the actual words - his or her.

Using headings in email to highlight the organization will allow readers to scan the email more efficiently.

Add white space to your documents by using numbered and bulleted lists .

Indent paragraphs to visually indicate it is a subset of the information above.

Related: How to Format Your Business Document

In business writing, your goal is to easily transmit ideas and information, not to flaunt a big vocabulary. 

Concise writing is harder to craft than writing that has no length limit. Blaise Pasqual stated, "I apologize for the length of my letter. I did not have time to make it shorter."

I’ve long admired Richard Lederer’s writing on language. In his 1991 book, The Miracle of Language , Lederer sings the praises of the short word:

When you speak and write, there is no law that says you have to use big words. Short words are as good as long ones, and short, old words— like sun and grass and home—are best of all. A lot of small words, more than you might think, can meet your needs with a strength, grace, and charm that large words do not have.

Two tips on clarity I always highlight in our business writing courses : 

• Never use a big word when a small word will do.
• Any time a word is not truly needed, cut it.

To grab your reader’s attention at pivotal moments in a document, such as the recommendation or conclusion, deliberately shift one or two sentences to all single-syllable words. A break in varied syllable length has the same effect on reading a document that staccato notes have when listening to music. The short, staccato words subconsciously alert your reader that something has shifted, causing them to pay more attention.  

Winston Churchill wisely stated, “Big men use little words, and little men use big words.”

Verbs are the pivot point of a sentence. Strong verbs have real punch. Compare:

The famous strong verb example by Julius Caesar: “Veni, vidi, vici.” I came , I saw , I conquered .

Business-speak: I was in attendance, and I conducted a review of the situation and culture, and I made recommendations for acquisition.

To bring clarity to your writing, use precise and evocative verbs. Business writers tend to muddle verbs because imprecise verb use is so common in business writing that it sounds normal to our ears.

A common clarity problem in business writing is “smothered verbs,” which are verbs that were changed to nouns (called “nominalization”). For example, the verb decide is nominalized into the noun decision . These nominalized verbs require helping words around them that smother their impact, muddle the clarity of a sentence, and increase sentence length.

Enhance clarity by using a specific verb, instead of a smothered nominalized word.

Example: The core verb in this sentence is “decide:" We need to make a decis ion about hiring either Kevin or Kira. - smothered verb We need to decide about hiring either Kevin or Kira. - unsmothered verb

Cutting smothered verbs reduces document length by 20–25% in most business documents. None of the smothering words have any value. Unsmothering verbs is a very powerful clarity technique.

Watch out for the word take near the verb in a sentence or sentence clause . If take is next to a verb or nominalized verb phrase, it is smothered. 

Example: We need to take the data findings into consideration if we expand the product line. We need to consider the data findings if we expand the product line.

Watch out for the word  give near the verb in a sentence or sentence clause . If give is next to a verb or nominalized verb phrase, it is smothered.

Example: Let me give consideration to your muddled writing. Let me consider your muddled writing.

Watch out for the word have near the verb in a sentence or sentence clause . If have is next to a verb or nominalized verb phrase, it is smothered.

Example: I have a suspicion some of your verbs are smothered. I suspect some of your verbs are smothered.

Watch out for the word make near the verb in a sentence or sentence clause . If make is next to a verb or nominalized verb phrase, it is smothered.

Example: We promise to make an adjustment to your account by tomorrow. We promise to adjust your account by tomorrow.

Watch out for the word conduct near the verb in a sentence or sentence clause . If conduct is next to a verb or nominalized verb phrase, it is smothered.

Example: We’ll need to conduct a review of the data before the decision can be made. We’ll need to review the data before deciding. (Two smothered verbs corrected)

Watch out for the word come near the verb in a sentence or sentence clause . If come is next to a verb or nominalized verb phrase, it is smothered.

Example: We came to the conclusion that prices had to increase. We concluded that prices had to increase.

Look for words ending in -ion and -ment near the verb in a sentence or sentence clause . If -ion or -ment is next to a verb or nominalized verb phrase, it is likely smothered.

Example: Are we i n agreement that clarity matters? Do we agree that clarity matters? Extend an invitation to Karen and Sunita. Invite Karen and Sunita.

Avoid wimpy verbs that need a helping word to enable the verb to do its job in the sentence. 

Example: 

Dolores walked into the room slowly and quietly with her head averted, hoping no one would notice she was late.

Dolores slinked into the room, hoping no one would notice she was late.

Evan planned and worked on the technical aspect of the project plan.

Evan engineered the project plan.

Avoid redundant verb modifiers.

Example: Damian shouted loudly at Clarrisa after she missed the deadline. Damian shouted at Clarrisa after she missed the deadline. (Shouting, by definition, is loud, so no modifier is needed.)

Weak sentences frequently start with “ There is ” or “ There are .” Instead, cut to the chase. Find the real subject and start there.  Read more about There, Their and They're here.

Example: There was a strong disagreement between the divisions about the reorganization structure. The two sides strongly disagreed about the reorganization structure.

Active voice is more dynamic and lively than passive voice, typically.

To increase reader engagement, shift appropriately from writer-focused wording to reader-focused writing. Be judicious. An entire document written with reader-focus wording can feel smarmy or too much like a marketing pitch. Used judiciously, it’s very effective.

Example: We have decided to upgrade the features of our training course. You will automatically receive updated features in your training course.

Jason Fried, the CEO of 37 Signals , stated: “Jargon is insecurity.” I agree.

So often, I hear people within an organization parrot each other with phrases that have been used so much they have become meaningless.

• Lots of moving parts
• Think outside the box
• View more jargon examples to avoid

Bonus Tip: You can also use our free Jargon Grader to check your writing for over 700 jargon words and phrases.

Everything we write at work has a larger echo. This echo is both a worry and an opportunity to advance your career. For example, you may have to deny a funding request to present research at a conference, but the larger echo requirement is maintaining the drive to innovate and research at your company. Don't win a battle and lose the war.

Avoid “I think …” or “I suggest …” or “I wonder if we should …"

Instead, confidently write “I recommend ...” or omit the “I” lead statement and simply write “Merge the divisions.”

Subjects and verbs need to agree in number. In an attempt be non-sexist, some business writers recommend writing, “Each person did their work quietly.” Each is singular. Their is plural. It’s grammatically incorrect.

To dodge the awkward his or her dilemma, shift the subject to plural when possible: A manager is trained to support his or her employees. Managers are trained to support their employees.

A little extra information provided can resolve repeated questions: As noted on page four of the instruction booklet, photocopying on both sides requires two steps.

Use consistency naming people. Mr. Jones and Arlene Kelly should be referred to consistently as David Jones and Arlene Kelly or as Mr. Jones and Ms. Kelly.

Use neutral job titles that do not imply gender - chairperson, not chairman or chairwoman.

To instill a confident tone to your writing, shorten your sentences and avoid the common overuse of “, and” in sentences. Which statement sounds more confident to you?

Training with us is easy , and you can hand us the job and just walk away.  You won't worry about a thing , and you can get back to what you do best.  Relax knowing your project is moving seamlessly to completion , and you can simply calculate the savings. OR Training with us is easy.  Hand us the job and just walk away.  You won't worry about a thing. Get back to what you do best.  Relax knowing your project is moving seamlessly to completion. Simply calculate the savings.

Do you hear the difference in confident tone? The second statement sounds much less out-of-breath or desperate to please and more confident and competent. It is calmer and assuring.

Continue to hone your skills by taking an effective business writing course . A structured course can help you develop effective business writing techniques [ Learn More ].

Never use more than one exclamation point at the end of a sentence.

When I studied rhetoric in graduate school, my favorite professor shared this funny statement about using too many exclamation points in general.  “Too many exclamation points make a document feel as if it has been written by an unfocused over-caffeinated cheerleader.”

54. Use clear words rather than emphasis punctuation  

Exclamation points are often used in business writing to generate enthusiasm when the real problem is imprecise information. More accurate, clear information will generate reader engagement far better than trying to spice a murky document with exclamation points.

The first step in editing is verifying that content matches reader needs - not too much, and not too little.

The second step in editing is making sure the document is as easy to scan as possible. Add headings, bullet lists, appropriate bold text, and lots of white space.

The third step in editing is correcting grammar, sentence structure, and eliminating bloat.

Every new thought needs a new paragraph. When in doubt, break the paragraph.

A one-sentence paragraph is both correct and emphatic. Don't be afraid to write a one-sentence paragraph.

When a group writes a document, designate one writer as the final editor to ensure a coherent voice.

If you are spending too much time editing, you probably rushed the planning of your document.

Editing should need a dusting, not an editorial massacre.

If a colleague asks you to edit their document, you must ask them about both the purpose of the document and about the audience. Without this information, you can only clean grammar.

A woman without her man is nothing. A woman: without her, man is nothing.

The most common grammar error we see in client writing during business writing training is fused or run-on sentences.

The second most common grammar error we see in client writing is sentence fragments.

The third most common grammar error we see in client writing is hyphen errors.

The fourth most common grammar error we see in client writing is me, myself, and I errors. 

The fifth most common grammar error we see in client writing is introductory clause comma errors.

Everyone makes different grammar errors. Therefore, to improve grammar, the first step has to be an accurate diagnosis of an individual’s entrenched grammar errors.

A review of many grammar rules is ineffective in actually improving business writing sentence structure. More effective is focusing on what is incorrect.

By far, the best grammar resource on the Internet is Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab . It includes explanations and exercises. 

Grammar Girl is an excellent resource for current grammar use and rationale.

Instructional Solutions’ Business Grammar category in their Business Writing Info blog is an excellent resource for business-specific grammar use.

Grammarians will never agree about whether or not to use the Oxford Comma (also called a Serial Comma). I recommend that business writers use it because of its consistency and clarification advantages.

Grammarians who believe a grammar rule should never be broken are called prescriptivists.

Grammarians who believe language is more flexible, and grammar rules may be broken, are called descriptivists. 

In business writing, it’s best to stick with established grammar rules because a client or potential customer could see what they perceive as an error and believe your work is simply sloppy.

For all the best business writing tools check out our full article here . 

Grammarly is our top business writing tool recommendation. Use it as the last check before you send anything. It will also detect plagiarism. Don't forget plagiarism applies to text as well as images.

Hemingway is a free app that detects bloat in your writing.

Microsoft Readability Measurement Tool, already embedded in Word and Outlook, provides helpful  business writing clarity measurements . Grammarly is better.

Tone Analyzer assesses the tone of your business writing .

Unsuck It is a rude, but useful, tool that assesses business writing jargon .

Freemind is free mind mapping software that is very easy to use.

This tutorial will teach you to use Freemind in ten minutes.

In his insightful book, Rework , Jason Fried stated:

All things being equal, hire the better writer. Good writers know what to include and what to omit. They understand people and motivation. They can express complex information in a way it can be shared. Whether the position is sales, engineering, software development, or HR, always hire the better writer.

I agree with Jason Fried. However, business writing is a skill that can be honed. Since 1998, my company, Instructional Solutions, and I have helped thousands of individuals and hundreds of companies write better at work.

We wanted to add one last tip! If you liked this article you can subscribe to our blog here . We often write articles focused on helping you become a better professional writer. 

For a deeper dive into business writing and for even more tips, read our full Guide to Business Writing .

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10 Professional Writing Tips – Write Like a Pro

Top 10 professional writing tips: quick start, top 5 basic professional writing tips, get straight to the point, keep it simple, complete your article with as few words as possible, write for the reader – not you, carefully manage your post’s length, top 5 advanced professional writing tips, start and finish with seo, maintain a proper flow, write like a poet – aka, enrich your vocabulary, keep a fine balance between simplicity and poetry, learn how to take criticism, summarizing, bonus tips for those who are starting out, constructing a written piece, creating media-rich content, being active instead of passive, living in the present or future, rather than the past, using basic tools to improve your writing, headings, headings, headings, writing for others, wrapping up.

Writing looks and sounds easy. Even kids can do it, right? But it’s not until you actually start writing professionally where you notice how tough it is – which is where professional writing tips can come in handy!

Here is how to deliver better web content for websites or blogs !

What’s about to follow may be a bit too much to process for some. Many of you won’t even bother finishing this article.

People online don’t have the time and patience to kick back and read thousands of words – especially when they can find videos and other, more engaging types of content. And that’s something to always keep in mind when producing web copy.

There are ten (10) tips in total. Five basic tips for beginners and five more for more advanced writers who want to hone their craft.

The five basics:

• Get straight to the point
• Keep it simple with short sentences
• Complete your article with as few words as possible, but without sacrificing quality
• Write for the reader, not for you
• Carefully manage your post’s length. Keep the three triplets in mind. Up to 3 paragraphs intro and outro, 3 lines per paragraph, 300 words per heading

And the five advanced:

• Start and finish with SEO
• Maintain a proper flow
• Write like a poet
• Keep a balance between simplicity and poetry
• Learn how to take criticism

This is where the real tips begin!

These are basic tips that everyone should aspire to follow. It doesn’t matter if you are an engineer, a product manager, an HR recruiter, or an artist.

You don’t need to be a writer to get started with the basics. After all, that is why they are called “basics”.

“I wanna show you a cooking recipe. But, first, let me tell you about my great grandfather and how he created it!” Don’t be that guy.

The online world moves in seconds. One moment you are checking out a video and the next you are already watching another one – which applies to every kind of online content.

That is why you don’t want to keep the readers waiting and scrolling. First, give them the information that they are after, and then add the related but not essential information.

Get to the point.

Numerous human beings find enjoyment in creating exceptionally lengthy sentences in combination with luscious, extravagant words; as well as using glamorous punctuation.

However, as you can unquestionably witness, such style is not ideal for online blogposts – not unless thy aim is toying with thy readers’ patience and witnessing how long it’ll take ‘fore they leave.

See, even when handled by a professional with years of experience, fancy writing is just not ideal for online content.

If you are great with maintaining a delicate balance between poetry and simplicity, and you are also superb with punctuation, sure, you can do it. But that’s a more advanced topic that we’ll be addressing in the advanced tips.

Generally, most of us should focus on completing small sentences with nothing but full stops and commas. No offense, but, leave the em dashes, semicolons, and fancy words to the pros.

This goes back to both the “Get straight to the point” and “Keeping it simple” mindset. If you can do all three while also managing lengths correctly, you are setting the foundations for becoming a great web content writer.

Amateur writers are constantly aiming at making their articles longer with useless chit-chat in order to hit a certain, higher word count. Pros make them shorter.

Making shorter sentences is key to increasing readability and keeping readers around longer. The above is a rough example of how you can do that, so, try it yourself.

After completing a sentence, see if you can make it shorter without taking value away from it.

Before even touching your keyboard, think about who you are writing for. Knowing who you are dealing with is vital.

Imagine you want to write for a car. You could potentially showcase:

• Technical details
• Extra features

And probably tons of other things that I’m missing, as a non-car guy. The thing is that not everyone cares about everything.

Young men are more likely to show an interest in horsepower, car guys are more likely to care for the technical details, while middle-aged women are perhaps more interested in aesthetics and extra features than the rest of the package.

So, before you even start crafting an article, think about who it’s going to be for, and focus on that persona.

An online article should be split into multiple fragments, just like this one. And managing each fragment’s length is crucial to creating a great post.

Parts that are too long will be harder to read and comprehend. Remember the three triplets and always aim for up to:

• 3 paragraphs for intros and outros
• 3 lines per paragraph
• 300 words per heading

While you should also focus on making sentences reasonably short. Of course, an article with nothing but short sentences is going to be dull, which is why you should spice things up with longer sentences every now and then.

Maintaining a nice balance between short and longer sentences is crucial to creating a pleasant flow – but that mostly concerns advanced writers. Again, those who do not specialize in writing should perhaps focus on creating decently short sentences, first.

These can be a little bit tricky if you don’t have some writing experience. It’s no surprise that you first need to walk before running.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a big part of online content. A properly optimized SEO post can keep on bringing you free traffic for weeks, months, or even years, without you having to lift a finger.

While there is quite a lot to consider in SEO, your job as a web content writer is to find a primary keyword and use it in the:

• Alt-description of images
• Meta description
• And within the article itself

And then you can also mention a couple of secondary-related keywords. Use something like Yoast for measuring results.

Basically, all you want to do is find an interesting topic, use a tool such as Ahrefs to find appropriate keywords for that topic, and then rephrase your content a little bit around these keywords.

For example, let us assume that I want to write something with the title of “All there is to know about localization”. It’s catchy, it’s beautiful, it’s perfect! But according to the tools at my disposal, it also doesn’t have any volume. People are not looking for it. I need a replacement.

By looking around in Ahrefs, I can see that “What is Localization” is on the same topic and people are looking for it. So, that leads me to rephrase the final title to “ What is Localization? All you Need to Know About it ”, ‘cause it’s just as catchy yet SEO optimized.

Do remember that to properly create an SEO-optimized article, you must take the keywords into account from start to finish. Implementing SEO practices halfway through or after the article is completed rarely ever ends with good results.

Well-written articles require little to no effort to be completed. You don’t read them, they read themselves to you – which is what “flow” is.

See, in many ways, writing is like music. Proper writing breathes and beats as you read it. It’s all about timing, punctuation, and maybe even poetry.

Take a moment and observe how sentences start and stop. Observe the length, the punctuation, and how paragraphs are formed throughout this article. Do you see a pattern? Does this sentence feel easy to complete?

That is what maintaining a proper flow looks like. One moment you create a short sentence with few words, and you stop. Then, you unleash the beast, using whatever means necessary to create something long and beautiful so that your piece won’t become tediously stale and boring.

But it’s nowhere near simple as that. Creating a pleasant flow is not something that I can put into words. You can’t just follow a few simple steps and expect to create something unique and pleasant.

A pleasant flow is something that you have to develop a natural feel for. However, if there is one tip, that’s to focus on using transition words; words such as:

• Furthermore
• For example
• Firstly, secondly, etc
• As a result

These are all words that you can use to keep a flow going. Just don’t overdo it as you don’t want the reader to feel restless.

“Poetry in online copy? Really?” Not literally but yes, kind of.

You definitely don’t want to be a poet when writing a how-to guide or explaining something. After all, simplicity and poetry don’t go hand in hand.

Creating an article that’s beautiful, captivating, and easy on the eyes with a proper flow, though? That’s the kind of poetry that we are after!

To achieve this, apart from having a great flow, you also need a rich vocabulary. More often than not, there are multiple words that you can use to describe something. For example:

• A lot -> Numerous, several, various, dozens
• Less -> Fewer, smaller
• Fast -> Swift, rapid, nimble, hasty
• Beautiful -> Glamorous, alluring, charming, appealing, bewitching, stunning, arresting

Simply using a proper flow with an enriched, beautiful vocabulary, goes a long way in writing.

Web content writers should aim to keep things simple and get straight to the point without useless chatter. On the other hand, if you focus on creating nothing but short and simple sentences, the whole article is going to be a chore to read through.

Again, there is no standard procedure; no specific guidelines to follow. Writing is a very flexible craft and you’ll need more than just a few tips to deliver high-quality content.

However, to move in the right direction, you first need to have a direction. And that’s what these tips are all about. Thus, always remember to keep a fine balance between simplicity and poetry.

As mentioned earlier, you can’t just read a few tips and then suddenly turn yourself into a pro writer. You need experience.

Unfortunately, just writing isn’t going to magically make you better. Maybe it will if you are great at self-improvement and self-criticism, but most of us need someone who can keep on pointing out mistakes.

The thing is that if you also can’t accept constructive criticism, you’ll no doubt get stuck at a never-ending stalemate.

I get it. Admitting that you are wrong is a tough thing to do – especially when we are talking about writing. After all, a written piece is your baby; your creation. It’s something that you pour your heart and soul into with hours of hard work. And someone else is going to come and say that it is wrong? Well, yes.

Accepting that you did something wrong is rough but it’s also a necessity to getting better. One tip to make things easier is to accept that you are not perfect and that writing can go wrong in a hundred different ways.

I’ve been writing for a living for half a decade and even now, I’m certain that there are plenty of mistakes and improvements to be made on this piece.

Readers and managers are extremely likely to criticize this article and, by extension, me. But you know what? It’s fine! I’ll live through it to become a better writer, and so will you!

To summarize, my top 10 professional writing tips to become a better writer are:

• Use short and simple sentences
• Reduce the word count when possible
• Keep your audience in mind
• Carefully manage the length of each individual part (Intro/outro, headings, paragraphs, sentences)
• Apply the best SEO practices
• Use a diverse and beautiful vocabulary
• Maintain a balance between poetry and simplicity
• Learn how to take criticism to make yourself better

Getting one of these right isn’t that big of a challenge. Getting everything down, however, is gonna take forever and some more.

I’d recommend occasionally checking out these tips when writing as keeping everything in mind is extraordinarily hard to do.

If you already know a thing or two about writing, stop reading now. I’ve already told you all there is to know. Tips are over.

Everything up to this point is written with the assumption that you are not a stranger to creating blogposts.

But for those of you who are new to professional writing or if you’ve written before, but nobody ever pointed out your mistakes, you may want to take these baby steps before trying out anything else.

Great writing, be it in offline or online content, is always split into multiple, smaller pieces that make a whole. And that’s a necessity for easier navigation and for better overall readability. This is what I refer to as “length management”.

The thing is that to effectively manage a written piece, you must first learn how to construct it.

To construct a written piece, start by thinking about what you are going to be talking about in categories. It’s okay if these categories are abstract at first. Just find a starting point.

For example, say that you want to write about a movie. What is there to talk about? Probably things like:

And maybe more depending on what you want to write. Once you have a list of things you want to focus on, you can start forming headings, rearranging them, and re-naming them to make the article as beautiful and comprehensive as possible.

That’s how I personally like to start constructing a written piece.

We are living in an era where media-rich content is commonplace. Videos, pictures, graphs, etc.

Gone are the days where people felt satisfied with nothing but words and white backgrounds. By not using any media at all, you’re putting yourself at a disadvantage. People love looking at visually appealing content.

A few good places to start with finding free or cheap media offerings are:

• Pexels , Pixabay, or PikWizard for loyalty free images
• Canva for creating your own graphs and graphics
• Flaticon for icons
• YouTube for various videos (Make sure to share via links as doing it via downloading and uploading most likely violates YouTube’s policies)

Of course, companies such as Transifex commonly rely so much more on professional content creators, rather than websites that provide freebies. But not everyone can afford to hire motion designers and art directors. And even when they can, creating multiple images is not an easy thing to do.

Using passive voice is a very common rookie mistake that makes your writing look dull and boring.

For example, “John was kissed by Mary” is written in passive voice. “Mary kissed John”, on the other hand, is active. Tiny changes like that can make a huge difference in the long run.

Another common rookie mistake is using too much past tense. It’s fine if you do it in moderation, but too much of it can be rather disengaging – unless you are writing a novel, I guess.

For example, “It was in this video where John explained how this company solved their problems and how it works for them to this day”, which is in the past tense, can be turned into, “In this video, John explains how this company solves their problems”.

The latter example is shorter, simple, straight to the point, and it just sounds better! How? Simply by moving from passive voice to active and from past tense to present tense.

Writing a high-quality blogpost can be an extremely challenging task as there are tons of things to consider.

One way to make it easier is by using a couple of free tools. To be more specific, Grammarly and Yoast are both great for readability and SEO optimization while you can also use Ahrefs for finding good SEO keywords.

Unfortunately, both Yoast and Ahrefs can be a bit pricey. But at least Grammarly offers a decent, free version.

That aside, additionally to automatic grammar checks, Quillbot can also be very useful for paraphrasing.

Headings can be trickier than you think. It’s easy to make a heading too long, too boring, or too complicated.

Ideally, you want to keep a heading to a single line while also making sure that it’s engaging and that it defines what the content is going to be all about.

Again, this is tricky and it requires quite a lot of creativity along with trial and error – which is precisely what I’d recommend doing in this case. Read more, see what others are doing, get inspired, and once you start writing, have someone more experience point out where there is room for improvement.

When you write for anyone else rather than yourself, you should definitely keep an eye on your overall voice and how you sound like.

For example, when I’m writing for Transifex, I don’t usually speak for myself; I speak while representing the company. That’s why I commonly use “We” instead of “I” in almost every other post here and why I’m also a bit more formal.

However, this article is so much more about my experience, as a professional writer, editor, and content manager, rather than Transifex. And that’s why I’m using a more sort of up-close and personal tone, here.

Remember, don’t feel bad if you see little to no improvements after trying to apply what you learned here to the real world.

One of the main reasons why you rarely meet great writers is because raising a pro writer is an incredibly expensive and time-consuming process. The only proper way to do it is to have an expert above your head who constantly points out what you may be doing wrong time, and time, and time again.

So, don’t get discouraged if you are struggling to improve on your own. It’s normal.

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Table of Contents

Collaboration, information literacy, writing process, professional writing – how to write for the professional world.

• © 2023 by Joseph M. Moxley - University of South Florida , Julie Staggers - Washington State University

Professional writing is fundamentally  transactional: usually if you are writing it is because you are trying to solve some kind of a problem . Your  audience — the people you are writing to — probably need to do something in response to your writing. They may not be expecting your writing . They probably don’t want to read your writing . Your writing is interrupting their day. So, if you’re gonna bother them you need to make it worth their time. Learn about the style of writing that characterizes the texts of professional writers in workplace writing contexts. Master the discourse conventions of professional communities of practice.

What is Professional Writing?

Professional writing refers to writing that helps get work done in business, industry, government, non-profit, and civic settings.

Whether it’s a brief office memo or a complex technical report, professional writing is action-oriented and aims to solve problems within or between organizations and publics. While some professional writing is performed by writing professionals — e.g., people whose main job is to write, such as technical writers or social media managers — most professional writing is done by professionals who write . Students often struggle with the transition from academic to professional writing due to the fundamental differences in the writing styles of these two discourse communities :

• Professional writing is transactional and action-oriented, typically used in work contexts to achieve practical outcomes. Professional writing demands clear , concise communication aimed at specific goals like informing, persuading, or instructing , often requiring a more direct and less theoretical approach than academic writing.
• Academic writing  refers to the  writing style  that researchers, educators, and students use in scholarly publications and school assignments. .

Related Concepts

• Elements of Style
• Professionalism
• Structured Revision
• Styles of Writing
• Workplace Writing

Why Does a Professional Writing Prose Style Matter?

Readers, especially critical readers who perceive documents from a particular interpretive framework, have particular expectations regarding

• how texts should be shaped, which genres, media, and channels of communication
• how knowledge claims should vetted to ensure they are authoritative .

Professionals in various fields adhere to established norms (aka discourse conventions) for generating knowledge that is considered to be authoritative . These norms and practices are deeply influenced by the historical research traditions and established discourse practices of their fields, as well as by the introduction of emerging technologies. These technologies offer new possibilities for exploring topics, thereby expanding the methods and approaches available to researchers.

Communication and learning are social processes.

Communications that fail to account for the reader’s expectations are unlikely to be read. They will be tossed aside, dumped into the recycle bin along with other writer-based prose .

What Are the Defining Characteristics of Professional Writing?

Clarity is job #1. It’s the first priority of any subject matter expert. If you are not clear — if you cannot express yourself with the level of detail your audience needs to understand your message — your readers may not understand your message, nor will they swayed by it.

Works that lack clarity are called “ writer-based discourse ” in writing studies , the academic field that studies writing, rhetoric, and composing.

Conciseness – Brevity

Professional communicators know less is more when it comes to facilitating clarity in communication . Knowing that every word can be misinterpreted, knowledge workers are careful to cut the vague words from their sentences .

In professional settings, where time equates to money, readers seek information efficiently, prioritizing speed and clarity over elaborate exposition. Consequently, professional writing emphasizes conciseness, employing active voice, a deductive organizational structure , and short paragraphs that focus on a singular main idea . This approach ensures that readers can quickly access and understand the necessary information without wading through unnecessary detail.

Professional writers tend to navigate complex ethical landscapes. Professional writers adhere to ethical, policy, and legal standards. Professional writers in workplace settings have public and legal obligations in the form of liability, copyright , trademark, and liability laws.

Professional writers present information in a way that does not mislead or manipulate the audience.

Professional writers are careful to respect copyright and intellectual property conventions. They are careful to follow expected citation conventions when paraphrasing, quoting, and summarizing the ideas of others..

Professional writers are careful to avoiding plagiarism and the misrepresentation of others.

Professional writers use language that is respectful and sensitive to ageism, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status of others.

Recommended Readings

• Ableist Language – Disability Metaphors – Disability Studies
• Critical Disability Studies
• Empathetic Information Literacy

Audience-Driven

Your readers are unlikely to take your work seriously if your communications fail to account for what your readers know about topic–and how they feel about it. (See interpretation )

The audience for professional writing tends to be coworkers, clients, employers. Typically in workplace discourse the audience is less informed about the topic than the write. Professional writers write from the persona and rhetorical stance of expert. They use visual language to present information as simply as possible. Texts deemed “professional” respond to the needs and interests of their target  audience (e.g., readers, listeners, or users ).

Professional writers determine what they need to say and how they need to say it by analyzing how familiar their audience(s) is with their topic , research methods , and current scholarly conversations on the topic. They engage in audience analysis to determine the genre and media that are most likely to met their target audience. They question

• what their audience thinks about the topic
• how their audience perceives or sees the topic
• how their audience feels about the topic
• what they want their audience to do .
• Document Planner
• Rhetorical Analysis

Readers and users of technical documents need to be confident that they can rely on the information being provided. Your ethos and the ethos of your company is always on the line, and never more so than when you are producing documents for external audiences. Lying, misrepresenting the facts, or ignoring the counterarguments an audience holds dear seldom helps a company prosper.

When revising , editing , or proofreading , you need to check and double check your facts. Check all of the details for accuracy. Avoid lawsuits! Ensure you have included all of the information the audience needs.

In the context of effective professional writing, accuracy refers to the precise and correct use of language, data, and information.

Professional writers maintain their integrity in professional contexts by ensuring that all facts, figures, and details are verified and true, and that language is used appropriately to convey messages without ambiguity or error.

Accuracy is crucial in professional writing as it builds credibility and authority with the audience , whether it’s for academic , technical, business, or any other formal communication.

Writers achieve accuracy by thoroughly researching their topics, cross-checking facts, using reliable sources, and reviewing their work for errors in grammar , spelling , and punctuation .

Accuracy in professional writing demonstrates a commitment to truthfulness and reliability, making it a fundamental attribute for writers aiming to communicate effectively and maintain their integrity in professional contexts.

Comprehensive

Professional writers achieve comprehensiveness by weaving their analysis into the broader “conversation of humankind,” demonstrating an awareness of the historiography of their topic . This attribute means they not only present a thorough exploration of the subject, incorporating all relevant dimensions and perspective , but also position their insights within the context of existing scholarship.

By tracing the evolution of ideas and acknowledging the contributions of previous scholars, professional writing showcases a depth of engagement with the topic that goes beyond surface-level analysis. This approach ensures that the text is not just informative but also deeply connected to the continuum of intellectual inquiry, reflecting a nuanced understanding of the subject’s history, its key contributors, and the methodologies that have shaped its development.

Comprehensiveness, therefore, is not just about the breadth of coverage but about situating one’s work within a larger scholarly dialogue , enriching the text with layers of context and meaning.

Research-Based , Substantive

Professional writers engage in strategic searching to investigate a topic . They are intellectually open . They consider counterarguments . They may employ textual research methods and engage in argument and persuasion.

When professional writers engage in research , they question the currency, relevance, authority, accuracy of information . They engage in rhetorical analysis and textual analysis to question the purpose of the research, from the investigator’s perspective .

Professional writers often engage in a variety of research methods, including Empirical Research Methods , Informal Research Methods , Mixed Research Methods , Qualitative Research Methods , or Quantitative Research Methods .

Readers of professional texts expect writers to support their claims with evidence . They distinguish fact from news and opinion . They expect more than anecdote and informal observation.

Accessibility involves presenting information in a manner that is easily digestible, using language that is straightforward and avoiding unnecessary jargon or technical terms that could alienate readers unfamiliar with the subject matter.

Accessibility entails structuring content logically, with clear headings , concise sentences , and a coherent flow of ideas , making it easier for readers to follow the argument or narrative .

Writers achieve accessibility by considering the background knowledge and interests of their intended audience . They tailor their approach – such as appeals to ethos , pathos , or logos — to be audience sensitive. They work to make their messages reader-based as opposed to writer-based.

When writers and speakers ensure their communications are accessible, they are able to reach a broader audience. By prioritizing accessibility, professional writers bridge the gap between expert knowledge and public understanding, contributing to a more informed and engaged community.

Collaborative (formally or informally)

In professional contexts, projects often require the collective expertise of multiple stakeholders, including writers, subject matter experts, designers, software developers, and clients, to create documents that meet specific business objectives. This collaborative approach ensures that the final product is comprehensive, accurate, and tailored to the needs of its intended audience , reflecting the diverse perspectives and skills of its contributors.

In contrast, academic writing tends to be more solitary. Individual authors or small research teams may toil away on a manuscript for years before sharing it with others and having it published.

Visually Appealing

The texts of subject matter experts in professional writing tend to be highly visual. Wherever possible, professional writers leverage the power of visual language to engage the interests and passions of the audience.

• Data Visualization – Information Visualization – The Art of Visualizing Meaning For Better Decision-Making
• Design Principles – The Big Design Principles You Need to Know to Create Compelling Messages
• Elements of Art – How to Leverage the Power of Art to Make Visually Compelling Documents
• Elements of Design – Master the Fundamentals of Visual Composition
• Page Design – How to Design Messages for Maximum Impact
• Universal Design Principles – How to Design for Everyone
• Usability – How to Research & Improve Usability
• Visualization – Visual Representation

Professional writers employ multiple media. They may embed videos and illustrations in their texts. Their texts may be primarily visual, such as data visualizations and infographics.

Problem-Oriented

Professional writers tends to be problem-oriented. Professional writers helps organizations and readers solve problems .

Professional writers tend to employ deductive order and deductive reasoning . In cover letters , abstracts , executive summaries and introductions, they tell the reader what the text is about and how it’s organized. They craft their texts to facilitate scanning .

What Textual Practices Are Common to Both Professional & Academic Prose Writing?

A professional writing style shares many characteristics with an academic writing prose style : both of these styles of writing aspire for brevity , flow , simplicity , unity and clarity in communications .

Academic and professional writers share many information literacy perspectives : they value openness and strategic searching . They know when they need information, where to get information, how to assess information, and how weave the work of other researchers into the fabric of their arguments . They value critical literacy practices : They are conversant with the research methods , the knowledge-making practices , that their audiences expect them use in order to propose or test a knowledge claim .

And, in most academic and workplace contexts , knowledge workers are expected to conform to discourse conventions of Standard Written English and Standard Spoken English , including

• attributions for evidenceo
• citation styles tied to particular disciplinary communities (e.g., MLA , APA , Chicago)
• organizational schema
• punctuation

Not surprisingly, style is a concern for readers across discourse communities : knowledge workers from both academic and professional writing camps abhor vagueness , unsupported claims , and a lack of organization . No one likes a sentence that goes on and on in multiple directions. People don’t want to be bored or confused.

What Are 8 Major Differences Between Academic and Professional Writing?

While professional writers share some values and practices with academic writers, they ultimately approach discourse situations in 8 unique ways.

Relationship to Audience

Much of the academic writing assigned in high school and college settings assumes the teacher as examiner role. When teachers serve in the role of examiner , they are checking to see whether you can demonstrate what you know or have learned .

Outside of schoolwork, however, the audience for academic writing tends to be subject matter experts and others interested in basic research on a topic . Members of different academic communities — such as the arts, engineering, or medical communities — engage in strategic searching in order to review peer reviewed research on topics of interest. Because they study different topics in different situations , discourse communities develop their own unique jargon , discourse conventions , and research methods .

Relationship to Topic

Academic writing is largely about problematizing and exploring ideas.

Professional writing is fundamentally transactional: usually if you are writing you are doing so because you are trying to solve some kind of problem. Your audience — the people you are writing to — probably need to do something in response to your writing. They may not be expecting your writing. They probably don’t want to read your writing. Your writing is interrupting their day. So, if you’re gonna bother them you need to make it worth their time: your work must be clear , substantive , properly attributed , and evidence based .

Formatting & Use of Visual Language

Academic writing tends to focus on traditional alphabetical language. Academic texts often have longish sentences and paragraphs. They are written from the assumption that the reader has an interest in their topic.

Professional writing, in contrast, assumes readers are not reading for pleasure. They assume technical readers are reading to understand something or to get something done. Thus, professional writing emphasizes visual elements more than academic writing.

To engage the curiosity and interest of their audience, professional writers

• Consider the Audience’s Needs Professional writers visual design should cater to the audience’s preferences and needs, making information not only accessible but also appealing to them.
• Use Visual Language to Communicate Professional writers incorporate visuals into their their texts, such as charts, graphs, and infographics. This makes complex information more accessible and easier to understand at a glance.
• Incorporate Images and Videos Professional writers use visual language to communicate, such as photographs, flowcharts, or infographics.
• Employ Typography Strategically Professional writers break longer paragraphs down into parts. They use headings, subheadings, bullet points, and varied font styles and sizes to organize content, draw attention to key points, and improve readability.
• Adopt Layouts That Enhance Readability Professional writers use space effectively to avoid clutter , allowing the reader’s eye to rest and making the document easier to navigate.
• Design for Accessibility Professional writers are careful to ensure that visual elements are accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. This includes using alt text for images and ensuring that color contrasts are sufficient for readability.

Sentence Structure & Sentence Patterns

Academic writers may communicate in long, complicated sentences and long paragraphs. It’s not unusual in professional-peer review journals, to see paragraphs that are 300 to 500+ words long.

In contrast, professional writing embraces simplicity , space, visual language, and simple sentence patterns.

Related Resources: Sentences | Sentence Types

In terms of channel or media , professional writers exhibit greater flexibility and are less tied to traditional discourse conventions than their academic counterparts.

Professional writers often adapt a single message for dissemination across various media, tailoring the content to suit the specific affordances and limitations of each platform. This adaptability allows them to effectively reach and engage their target audiences through the most appropriate channels, whether it be social media, blogs, reports, or presentations.

Conversely, academic writers primarily operate within established scholarly formats such as academic essays, research articles, and book reviews.

Point of View + Perspective

Academic writers may write from the first person to share their experiences and thoughts. In turn, when writing memos in workplace situations, professional writers may also use the first person. Thus, point of view, by itself, is not a measure of academic v. professional writing.

However, in general, primarily due to the distinct purposes and audiences their writing serves, academic and professional writers do adopt different rhetorical stances :

• Academic Writing is primarily oriented towards contributing to scholarly discourse — what is often called “ the conversation of humankind. ”  Academic writing is characterized by rigorous analysis, citation of peer-reviewed sources, and a focus on contributing new knowledge within a discipline. It often adheres to specific formatting and stylistic conventions (e.g., APA, MLA) and values objectivity, precision, and complexity, emphasizing argumentation supported by evidence.
• Professional Writing, while also valuing objectivity and evidence-based argumentation in many contexts (such as technical, legal, and scientific communications), is generally more diverse in its aims and formats. It seeks to achieve specific, practical outcomes, such as persuading customers, instructing users, or facilitating business operations. Professional writers adapt their rhetorical stance — their tone, style, and structure — to fit the immediate needs of their audience.

Related Resources

Point of View | Perspective | Rhetorical Stance

Organization

Professional Writing is nearly always employs a direct approach when it comes to organization: professional writers clarify their purpose for writing upfront–sometimes in the first sentence or paragraph .

In contrast, an indirect approach to organization leads with relevant, attention-getting details that do not directly state the purpose of the document. Most often, in business and technical communication, indirect organization is employed when the writer is delivering bad news or anticipates an audience that is resistant to the main message and may require some persuasion.

Professional writers use cover letters , abstracts , executive summaries , and introductions to emphasize key points, arguments , methods , findings, interpretations and conclusions . They don’t hold off on the best arguments till last or keep the reader guessing about why they are being given information .

• Inductive Order, Inductive Reasoning, Inductive Writing
• Deductive Order, Deductive Reasoning, Deductive Writing
• Sentence Order within Paragraphs
• Topic Sentence

Brevity - Say More with Less

Clarity (in Speech and Writing)

Coherence - How to Achieve Coherence in Writing

Flow - How to Create Flow in Writing

Inclusivity - Inclusive Language

The Elements of Style - The DNA of Powerful Writing

Recommended

Academic Writing – How to Write for the Academic Community

Structured Revision – How to Revise Your Work

Credibility & Authority – How to Be Credible & Authoritative in Research, Speech & Writing

Citation Guide – Learn How to Cite Sources in Academic and Professional Writing

Page Design – How to Design Messages for Maximum Impact

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Here is How You Grow Your Professional Writing Skills

Updated: June 19, 2024

Published: January 27, 2022

You’ve heard it before: “Time is money.” In professional settings, this statement often rings true. And, it’s just one of the reasons why professional writing is a key skill to hone. Professional writing is used for different purposes. When it comes to learning how to grow your professional writing skills, the good news is that it’s pretty simple to do if you’re dedicated to the endeavor.

Here’s what you need to know.

What is Professional Writing?

Professional writing is a big umbrella of writing that typically involves formal writing. It entails all the different types of writing for professional purposes, including business letters, progress reports, research reports , marketing, job applications, cover letters , work presentations, emails, and the like.

Professional writing is meant to be clear and concise. The goal is often to get across information in the most succinct and easy-to-understand way possible. One of the primary things you’ll need to know when writing professionally is your audience. Like all types of writing, you want to choose a tone that is intended for the reader.

Let’s take a look at the different types of professional writing, and then we’ll cover some tips for improving your professional writing abilities.

What Are the Types of Professional Writing?

The main types of business writing include:

Instructional

As the name implies, instructional writing is meant to explain how to do something or provide directions (hence, instructions).

Informational

Informational writing doesn’t call for any action to be taken on behalf of the audience. Instead, its main goal is to share information, like reference materials or records for storage.

Transactional

Transactional writing is a common form of professional writing that occurs on a daily basis. It can include emails, official letters, or invoices, to name a few.

Persuasive writing is mostly used in advertising and marketing as it seeks to persuade users or customers to buy a product of service. Persuasive writing is also used to build relationships with customers.

Tips to Improve Your Professional Writing Skills

Now that we’ve covered what professional writing is, the big question still remains: “How do I improve my professional writing skills?”

The practice of improving professional writing skills will differ for every person. It can depend on your natural writing ability, your experience level, your needs, and use cases, for example. However, for any person who wants to improve their professional writing skills, any or all of the following suggestions can be game-changing.

1. Read a lot

Sure, you’re looking to be a better writer, but to do so, you also need to be a better reader. Why is this the case? People who read a lot of professional writing examples can learn from them. You obtain a feel for sentence structure (also known as syntax), grammar, and stylistic elements. Another pro about reading a lot is that you may start to recognize mistakes. That’s when you know that you’ve leveled up!

2. Practice

Think of writing as you would think of running. The more you do it, the easier (and faster) you become. You can practice writing anywhere and everywhere. If there’s a certain type of professional writing from the categories above that you want to master, practice that specific type. Ask people for feedback once you’ve written some pages.

3. Be concise

Time is money, and in the working world, most people are always seeking more time. That’s why it can pay to be concise and to-the-point. Focus on the message you want to get across and remove all the unnecessary words around it. When you are designing ads, email newsletters, flyers, and the like, use design to your advantage. The well-thought-out combination of design and words can make all the difference in conveying a message successfully.

4. Leverage online tools

Thanks to technology, there are online tools that are specifically geared to help people make the most of their professional writing. For example, you can use Grammarly to check your grammar or word counter on the word processing tool of your choice to check your word count. Also, don’t forget about the bare necessities — spell check.

5. Be aware of the tone

As you know, writing on a billboard feels different than writing in a job application cover letter. What this comes down to is tone of voice. When you talk, you can sense the tone of voice based on your inflection and volume. Just like speaking, writing has a tone of voice infused. Write as you would speak. Of course, that will depend on who you are speaking to (audience) and what you are trying to say (message).

6. Edit and proofread

One of the most important things to do when writing, especially professionally, is to proofread and edit your work. Before you hit “Publish,” “Send,” or “Print,” you need to re-read what you wrote. A good way to check for errors is to read what you write out loud. Often, it’s easy to look over errors in your writing when you read it in your head because your brain fills in the missing word or omits the extra word. That’s why the reading out loud trick can be helpful because you may be more likely to hear the mistake.

7. Check facts

In professional writing, it’s really important to be honest with any facts. Your writing may be reflecting the business’ credibility and reputation, so you’ll want to add sources when relevant. Fact-checking ensures that people will continue to trust what you share.

8. Organize first

Depending on what type of professional writing you’re doing, it may make the most sense to create an outline or write notes for what you wish to accomplish. This is especially true when you are drafting newsletters, whitepapers, reports, and blogs, to name a few.

9. Grammar and spelling

As mentioned, proofreading and editing are crucial in professional writing. You’ll want to look out for proper grammar and spelling so that you can avoid making mistakes. Since writing is a process, you’ll likely have multiple iterations before you make it to an acceptable final product.

10. Workshops

If you have the time and resources, it may be helpful to sign up for local or online writing workshops. You can type “local writing workshops” into Google to find out where there may be some offered around you. Another way to improve your professional writing skills is to enroll in a degree program online. Within the setting of education, you will undoubtedly practice your writing skills across different subject areas.

Write Away!

Professional writing can be fun, too. The headline above is a prime example of wordplay — did you catch it?

The more you read and practice professional writing, the better you will become. This type of writing is transferable across job titles and careers, so it’s always a beneficial skill to possess.

At UoPeople, our blog writers are thinkers, researchers, and experts dedicated to curating articles relevant to our mission: making higher education accessible to everyone.

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5 Tips for Writing Professional Emails

• Scott Stein

A guide to crafting messages that drive results.

Learning to write better emails will improve your reputation as a strong and thoughtful team member, help you articulate your ideas clearly,  grow your influence, avoid unnecessary back-and-forths, and actually get things done. Here are a few basic guidelines to follow:

• First, identify what you want your email to convey. Ask yourself: What outcome do I hope this email brings? What do I want the recipient to do? This will help clarify your intentions.
• Next, decide the recipients of your email. In general, though, avoid sending a message to an entire team of people if you only need to talk to one or two. Similarly, don’t CC your boss on all emails that don’t require their oversight. Tailor your subject line. Use a verb or a phrase to indicate what action you want the recipient to take such as “Decision,” “Action Required,” or “Feedback.”
• When you write your message, start with the action you want the reader to take. Follow up with the context, and end by letting them know you’re available for questions. Include visual elements like bullet points, bold text, italics, and shorter paragraphs.
• Always specify the timeline of the action or by when you want the recipient to get back to you. Include the expected end date for the task, request, or feedback.

Where your work meets your life. See more from Ascend here .

How much of your time do you spend writing, replying to, and second-guessing emails?

• SS Scott Stein works with leaders and staff to implement fast-track strategies that improve results. He is the author of the book, “Leadership Hacks: Clever Shortcuts to Boost Your Impact and Results.” For more information visit www.scottstein.com .

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11 Creative Writing Techniques

Learn how to add pizzazz to any type of writing.

The articles below show you how to use creative writing tools in fiction or non-fiction. Each article features a series of examples so it becomes easier to apply the technique.

List of creative writing techniques

Click the links below to go to a specific section:

Personification

Show don’t tell

Repetition in writing

Contrast in writing

The rule of three in writing

Parallelism

1. Metaphors

Learn how to use metaphors and get inspired by these examples …

Learn how to use metaphors >>

Metaphor examples >>

Get inspired by over 10 simile examples by various authors …

Simile examples >>

3. Analogies

Get inspired by these analogy examples …

Analogy examples >>

Improve your writing style

Learn how to write better and find your voice. Get free writing tips in your inbox.

Get free writing tips >>

Get inspired by these imagery examples …

Imagery examples >>

5. Personification

Learn how to use personification to make your writing sparkle …

Personification examples >>

6. Show don’t tell

Get inspired by these examples of “show, don’t tell” …

Show don’t tell examples >>

7. Repetition in writing

Get inspired by these examples of word repetition …

Examples of repetition in writing >>

8. Contrast in writing

Discover how to use contrast in your writing …

Examples of contrast in writing >>

9. The rule of 3 in writing

Get inspired by these examples of the rule of 3 …

The rule of 3 in writing >>

10. Parallelism in writing

Get inspired by these examples of the parallelism …

Parallelism examples >>

11. Switch the point of view (POV)

Discover how to switch the point of view …

Point of view examples >>

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Creative writing examples

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Creative writing exercises

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100 Writing Practice Lessons & Exercises

by Joe Bunting | 50 comments

Want to become a better writer? Perhaps you want to write novels, or maybe you just want to get better grades in your essay writing assignments , or maybe you'd like to start a popular blog .

If you want to write better, you need practice. But what does a writing practice actually look like? In this post, I'm going to give you everything you need to kick off your writing practice and become a better writer faster.

What Is Writing Practice?

Writing practice is a method of becoming a better writer that usually involves reading lessons about the writing process, using writing prompts, doing creative writing exercises , or finishing writing pieces, like essays, short stories , novels , or books . The best writing practice is deliberate, timed, and involves feedback.

How Do You Practice Writing?

This was the question I had when I first started The Write Practice in 2011. I knew how to practice a sport and how to practice playing an instrument. But for some reason, even after studying it in college, I wasn't sure how to practice writing.

I set out to create the best writing practice I could. The Write Practice is the result.

I found that the best writing practice has three aspects:

Deliberate . Writing whatever you feel like may be cathartic, but it's not an effective way to become a better writer or build your writing skills. You'll get better faster by practicing a specific technique or aspect of the writing process each time you sit down to write.

This is why we have a new lesson about the writing process each day on The Write Practice, followed by a practice prompt at the end so you can put what you learned to use immediately.

Timed . It's no secret writers struggle with focus. There are just too many interesting distractions—Facebook, email, Kim Kardashian's Instagram feed (just kidding about that last one, sort of)—and writing is just too hard sometimes.

Setting a timer, even for just fifteen minutes, is an easy and effective way to stay focused on what's important.

This is why in our writing practice prompt at the end of each post we have a time limit, usually with a link to an online tool egg timer , so you can focus on deliberate practice without getting distracted.

Feedback . Getting feedback is one of the requirements to deliberately practice writing or any other craft. Feedback can look like listening to the reactions of your readers or asking for constructive criticism from editors and other writers.

This is why we ask you to post your writing practice after each lesson, so that you can get feedback from other writers in The Write Practice community. It's also why we set up The Write Practice Pro community , to provide critique groups for writers to get feedback on each finished piece of writing.

Our 100+ Best Creative Writing Practice Exercises and Lessons

Now that you know how we practice writing at The Write Practice, here are our best writing practice lessons to jumpstart your writing skills with some daily writing exercises, for beginner writers to even the most expert writers:

All-Time, Top 10 Writing Lessons and Exercises

These ten posts are our most viewed articles to boost your writing practice:

1. What is Plot? The 6 Elements of Plot and How to Use Them . Great stories use similar elements in wildly different ways to build page-turning stories. Click here to read what they are and learn how to start using them !

2. Top 100 Short Story Ideas . Here are over a hundred writing prompts in a variety of genres. If you need ideas for your next story, check this out!

3. How To Use Neither, Nor, Or, and Nor Correctly . Even good writers struggle figuring out when to use neither/nor and either/or. In this post, our copy-queen Liz Bureman settles the confusion once and for all. Click to continue to the writing exercise

4. Ten Secrets To Write Better Stories . How does Pixar manage to create such great stories, year after year? And how do you write a good story? In this post, I distill everything I've learned about how to write a good story into ten tips. Click to continue to the writing exercise

5. 35 Questions To Ask Your Characters From Marcel Proust . To get to know my characters better, I use a list of questions known as the Proust Questionnaire, made famous by French author, Marcel Proust. Click to continue to the writing exercise

6. How a Scene List Can Change Your Novel-Writing Life . Creating a scene list changed my novel-writing life, and doing the same will change yours too. Includes examples of the scene lists from famous authors. Click to continue to the writing exercise

7. Why You Need to be Using the Oxford Comma . Most people I've met have no idea what the Oxford comma is, but it's probably something that you have used frequently in your writing. Click to continue to the writing exercise

8. Six Surprising Ways to Write Better Interview Questions.  The interview is the most-used tool in a journalist's bag. But that doesn't mean novelists, bloggers, and even students can't and don't interview people. Here's how to conduct a great interview. Click to continue to the writing exercise

9. Why You Should Try Writing in Second Person . You've probably used first person and third person point-of-view already. But what about second person? This post explains three reasons why you should try writing from this point-of-view. Click to continue to the writing exercise

10. The Secret to Show, Don't Tell . You've heard the classic writing rule, “Show. Don't Tell.” Every writing blog ever has talked about it, and for good reason. Showing, for some reason, is really difficult. Click to continue to the writing exercise.

12 Exercises and Lessons To Become a Better Writer

How do you become a better writer? These posts share our best advice:

• Want to Be a Better Writer? Cut These 7 Words
• What I Mean When I Say I Am A Writer
• How to Become a Writer: 3 Simple Steps
• 72% of Writers Struggle With THIS
• 7 Lies About Becoming a Writer That You Probably Believe
• 10 Questions to Find Your Unique Writing Voice
• The Best Writing Book I’ve Ever Read
• The Best Way to Become a Better Writer
• The Creative Writer’s Toolkit: 6 Tools You Can’t Write Without
• Should You Write More or Write Better: Quantity vs Quality
• How to Become a Better Writer in One, Simple Step
• 11 Writing Tips That Will Change Your Life

6 Lessons and Exercises from Great Writers

If you want to be a writer, learn from the great writers who have gone before you:

• 23 Essential Quotes from Ernest Hemingway About Writing
• 29 Quotes that Explain How to Become a Better Writer
• 10 Lessons Dr. Seuss Can Teach Writers
• 10 Writing Tips from Ursula Le Guin
• Once Upon a Time: Pixar Prompt
• All the Pretty Words: Writing In the Style of Cormac McCarthy

12 Genre and Format Specific Writing Lessons and Exercises

Here are our best writing lessons for specific types of writing, including essays, screenplays, memoir, short stories, children's books, and humor writing:

• Writing an Essay? Here Are 10 Effective Tips
• How To Write a Screenplay: The 5 Step Process
• How to Write a Great Memoir: a Complete Guide
• How to Write a Short Story from Start to Finish
• How to Write a Thriller Novel
• How to Write a Children's Book
• How to Write a Love Story
• How to Write a Coming of Age Story or Book
• How to Write an Adventure Book
• 5 Key Elements for Successful Short Stories
• 4 Tips to Write a Novel That Will Be Adapted Into a Movie
• Humor Writing for People Who Aren’t Funny

14 Characterization Lessons and Exercises

Good characters are the foundation of good fiction. Here are our best lessons to create better characters:

• Character Development: How to Create Characters Audiences Will Love
• Writing Villains: 9 Evil Examples of the Villain Archetype
• How NOT to Introduce a New Character
• The Strongest Form of Characterization
• The Most Important Character Archetype
• How Do You Build A Strong Character In Your Writing?
• 75+ Antihero Examples and How to Use Them
• How to Explore Your Characters’ Motivations
• 8 Tips for Naming Characters
• The Protagonist: How to Center Your Story
• Heroes vs. Anti-Heroes: Which Is Right For Your Story?
• The Weakest Form of Characterization
• How to Write With an Accent
• How To Create a Character Sketch Using Scrivener

15 Grammar Lessons and Exercises

I talk to so many writers, some of whom are published authors, who struggle with grammar. Here are our best writing lessons on grammar:

• Is It Okay To End A Sentence With A Preposition?
• Contractions List: When To Use and When To Avoid
• Good vs. Well
• Connotation vs. Denotation
• Per Se vs. Per Say
• When You SHOULD Use Passive Voice
• When Do You Use “Quotation Marks”
• Polysyndeton and Asyndeton: Definition and Examples
• The Case Against Twilight
• Affect Versus Effect
• Stop Saying “Literally”
• What Is a Comma Splice? And Why Do Editors Hate Them?
• Intra vs. Inter: Why No One Plays Intermural Sports
• Alright and Alot: Words That Are Not Words
• The Poor, Misunderstood Semicolon

4 Journalism Lessons and Exercises

Want to be a journalist? Or even use techniques from journalism to improve your novel, essay, or screenplay? Here are our best writing lessons on journalism:

• Six Ways to Ask Better Questions In Interviews
• How Should You Interview Someone? Over Email? In Person?
• What If They Don’t Want to Talk to You?
• Eleven Habits of a Highly Effective Interviewers

16 Plot and Structure Lessons and Exercises

Want to write a good story? Our top plot and structure lessons will help:

• The Ten Types of Story and How to Master Them
• Points of a Story: 6 Plot Points Every Story Needs
• How to Shape a Story: The 6 Arcs
• 7 Keys To Write the Perfect First Line of a Novel
• The Secret to Creating Conflict
• 4 Tips to Avoid Having Your Short Story Rejected by a Literary Magazine
• 7 Steps to Creating Suspense
• 5 Elements of Storytelling
• 3 Important Rules for Writing Endings
• A Writer’s Cheatsheet to Plot and Structure
• Overcoming the Monster
• How to Satisfy Your Reader With a Great Ending
• Pow! Boom! Ka-Pow! 5 Tips to Write Fight Scenes
• The Dramatic Question and Suspense in Fiction
• How to Write a Memorable Beginning and Ending
• How to Write the Perfect First Page

6 Lessons and Exercises to Beat Writer's Block

Writer's block is real, and it can completely derail your writing. Here are six lessons to get writing again:

• How To Write Whether You Feel Like it Or Not
• This Fun Creative Writing Exercise Will Change Your Life
• When You Should Be Writing But Can't…
• What to do When Your Word Count is Too Low
• 7 Tricks to Write More with Less Willpower
• When You Don’t Know What to Write, Write About Your Insecurities

7 Literary Technique Lessons and Exercises

These writing and storytelling techniques will teach you a few tricks of the trade you may not have discovered before:

• 3 Tips to “Show, Don’t Tell” Emotions and Moods
• 3 Reasons to Write Stream of Consciousness Narrative
• 16 Observations About Real Dialogue
• Intertextuality As A Literary Device
• Why You Should Use Symbolism In Your Writing
• 6 Ways to Evoke Emotion in Poetry and Prose
• 3 Tips To Write Modern Allegorical Novels
• Symbol vs. Motif: What’s the Difference

3 Inspirational Writing Lessons and Exercises

Need some inspiration? Here are three of our most inspiring posts:

• Why We Write: Four Reasons
• You Must Remember Every Scar
• 17 Reasons to Write Something NOW

3 Publishing Blogging Lessons and Exercises

If you want to get published, these three lessons will help:

• The Secret to Writing On Your Blog Every Day
• How to Publish Your Book and Sell Your First 1,000 Copies
• How to Get Published in Literary Magazines

11 Writing Prompts

Need inspiration or just a kick in the pants to write. Try one of our top writing prompts :

• Grandfathers [writing prompt]
• Out of Place [writing prompt]
• Sleepless [writing prompt]
• Longing [writing prompt]
• Write About Yourself [writing prompt]
• 3 Reasons You Should Write Ghost Stories
• Road Trip [writing prompt]
• Morning [writing prompt]
• The Beach [writing prompt]
• Fall [writing prompt]
• How to Use Six-Word Stories As Writing Prompts

Is It Time To Begin Your Writing Practice?

It's clear that if you want to become a writer, you need to practice writing. We've created a proven process to practice your writing at The Write Practice, but even if you don't join our community, I hope you'll start practicing in some way today.

Personally, I waited  far  too long to start practicing and it set my writing back years.

How about you? Do you think practicing writing is important?  Let me know in the comments section .

Choose one of the writing practice posts above. Then, read the lesson and participate in the writing exercise, posting your work in the Pro Practice Workshop . And if you post, please give feedback to your fellow writers who also posted their practices.

Have fun and happy practicing!

Joe Bunting

Joe Bunting is an author and the leader of The Write Practice community. He is also the author of the new book Crowdsourcing Paris , a real life adventure story set in France. It was a #1 New Release on Amazon. Follow him on Instagram (@jhbunting).

Want best-seller coaching? Book Joe here.

50 Comments

You have THE BEST content for writing on this blog!!

Thank you, Kristen. This made my morning. 🙂

Thanks Mitch. 🙂

I can’t remember when I started following this website. I have to look in my notebooks because that’s where I did these practices. I didn’t have access to a computer when I did them, so I wrote them out, setting the time limit. But even when I do get to a computer, I have my reservations about putting my practices on the page. even though it’s practice, I want them to be the best, almost perfect. But I know it won’t be. I’ve gotten feedback before that says so. It still gets to me that I didn’t put something together that not everyone liked. I need to get over it. After all, that is what these practices are about: to learn and improve on our craft.

I don’t know either, George, but it’s been several years. Perfectionism is something so many of us face, and it’s made worse when you don’t have a critique community as warm and encouraging as ours is. I hope you and everyone here are always willing to try something new, even if it comes out a little messed up, because you know we’ll support you and try to make you better.

What a great share! Thanks so much!

You’re so welcome, Elizabeth. Thank you for commenting.

when I ran writing classes I wrote. when I am “a member of writing classes” the teacher/leader/facilitator is NOT MY AUDIENCE and so I don’t write as well/as much. I don’t get the feedback I need from fellow students because most of them have never run their own writing projects/workshops. So many people expect you to write their story for them. I’ve actually got quite a few stories of me own. I have finally decided I like owning them. 😉

It sounds like you need a new critique group, Patience! Hope you can find a place where you get the feedback you need.

Wow! Terrific round-up of resources. 🙂

Thanks Stephanie. 🙂

Practice is necessary, period. It doesn’t matter what you want to learn. If you want to improve, practice is vital.

It’s odd. I’ve known and applied that principle for years on a variety of things. Painting. Drawing. Blogging. Gardening. Laundry.

But never writing.

Like you, I had the notion that just writing every day was all it took to improve. Why not the same level of dedication to writing?

Perhaps it’s time to change that!

I can relate, Carrie. It’s easy to confuse the craft of writing with journaling, thinking that you can just write whatever you feel like and you’ll get better, write something worth reading. The truth is that writing interesting things to read is a skill, but the good news is that you can get better at it with practice. Thanks for practicing with us! 🙂

I love these suggestions , and have set Writing Practice as my homepage so the first 15 minutes of my day is spent writing, whether its a practice or exercise here or another that is sprinkled through out this site, Thank you for all you do everyone here at The Write Practice

This is great Debra. I want to write the first 15 minutes of my day too!

I agree with Joe, Do it. Could be your to do list… ( that could lead to something else story wse later)

I love that, Debra. Such a good way to start your day.

Thanks Joe!

The best! Thank you so much for this.

You’re very welcome!

I simply LOVE all the tips and suggestions given on this blog. They are super helpful!

THANK you. We love sharing them with you. 🙂

Hi! You forgot the link to How to Write a Story a Week: A Day-by-Day Guide.

Thanks a lot for your work! This post is amazing.

It’s a great post Thiago. Definitely one of our most shared. Thanks for mentioning it! BTW here’s the link:

https://thewritepractice.com/a-story-a-week/

Wow!! There are so many exercises…. I just love it..! I am gonna really enjoy it..!

Awesome! Thank you for reading and practicing with us. 🙂

I only read halfway , My tootie is jumping all over me, and typing this is a struggle when a 3yr old wants his Toy Story movie on Youtube in this computer. Thank you for this article, will come back later to finish reading.

I know the feeling! Good luck!

Can’t wait to get stuck in with this! 🙂

Very helpful! Thank you!

I’ve just bookmarked this page. Thanks for this wonderful list.

This is awesome! So many helpful tips. I will be coming back to this often. Thanks for posting this!

Wow, so many goodies! Thank you for always providing such amazing content!!

I have enjoyed all these articles. Thank you for the help an inspiration to get my writing on its way. My creativity is boosting with confidence. Tootle loo.

Amazing contents for beginners like me Joe. I am highly inspired by your commitment. Thank you.

Hey, thanks!

Although I have only read half of thisc article, the practice exercises are excellent. Some of them are exactly what a beginning writer like myself needs. I am committing to at least try ALL of them. Thanks Joe!!

very helpful! thank you..

Amazing articles! Thanks so much for sharing!

My god this article made me love this site . You know it’s kinda hard for a beginner writer, who don’t know where to start and fixing goals, even samll ones give us a direction . A place to go , an aim for our creativity so thanks you , this community and this site. Love you all . At your pens ! 😉

Wow. This is great. I find all your posts informative, but this one is the best for me to use as a guide to get my self starting to write….Thank you.

I’m an old lady who wants to publish one more book before I die — have published several, all non-fiction, and done two under contract to a major publisher (reference books). So help me, the BIGGEST problem I have all along, is keeping track of the damned paper work and research that goes into a book!!! Yet I never ever see articles on something as simple as “How to file” — Oh I know, there’s wonderful software these days so probably I will never find a way to get paper organized — everybody will use software and do it on the computer. I’m too old for that — just one look at the learning curve for software, even putting the damned stuff into computer files is even MORE frustrating than paper!! Oh well, somehow I managed in the past to get books published, I may be able to do it one more time.

you enjoy writing more than anything else and you do indeed care to help others write. I love writing but translation from Arabic into English and English into Arabic is taking all of my time from the early hours of the morning till the evening. I will soon get all of your books in order to read them as soon as possible. One thing I am sure of. You know what you are doing very well. Hamzah

Excellent! Many useful tips. Many thanks!

Liz and Joe, I have only looked at a few exercises. Already, I am convinced that your site is one of the best sites out there. Thank your for sharing your wisdom.

Wow, these are the best lessons and exercises for writing. Actually i’m participating in a compitition this wendsday. so, i’m quite nervous and exited. this helped me a lot

Magnificent post ever I have read. This article will help me a lot to write a right way. Thank you.

i need your help to improve to become a better writer please. i think i usually commit moist of these errors and i don;t pay attention to many advices too.

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