This is the one thing that gets me all the time, there are so many people who are very able, but for one reason or another believe they can’t write.  I saw this in college, which part of me believes is a little bit of laziness kicking in… but now that I am writing for Red Rocket, I see that a lot of our clients suffer from this same stigma.

So here is my first thought…”if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball”… oh wait that is from the movie I watched last night.  But seriously,  if you can read, you can write… if you can speak, you can write…  It’s just as simple as that.  Some of the best copy I have ever read has come from people who constantly complain that they can’t write.

Their biggest downfall is that they believe they can’t write, so they are limiting the quality of writing they do.  So here is my best advice to those who believe they are among the writing impaired:

1. Write the way you would speak or think.  Don’t get caught up in trying to pick the correct grammar or sound overly professional.  That is what the draft process is for.

2. If you are a little self-conscious about your writing, be sure to write using the draft process.  Write your first draft.  Once you are done, then go back and check for the typos, grammar mistakes, or any other changes that need to be made.  If you try to correct these things while you are writing it hinders the outcome of your final copy.

3. Get feedback from others.  This is a HUGE step for people who feel their writing is not what it should be.  But the perfect pick-me-up for this problem is getting positive feedback from others.  Or, if they overly critique your copy, take it as a learning experience and a chance to get new ideas on how to write.  99% of the time you will get positive and constructive feedback from your copy.

4.  Write in complete thoughts.  Make sure that you are making clear and concise points with your writing.  There should be an intro/beginning, supporting details, and conclusions to every point that you are trying to make.  The length and style of your copy will be dependent on what you are writing it for.

5. Develop your own writing style/pattern – especially if you are writing copy for a series of pieces.  The more consistent the copy is in a series of pieces, the more professional it makes your writing appear.  For example, if you are writing for a webpage or say brochures and you are trying to write descriptions for parts A, B, and C of your service.  If A, B, and C all have similar length and structure, it will help with the flow of reading the piece.
For more writing tips for the writing impaired, post your questions on my blog and I will try to address them as best as I possibly can.

It is possible to escape the mindset of not being a good writer, because everyone has the potential to be a good writer – sometimes it just takes a little confidence to get there.   Best of luck in your future writing ventures.

– from the Writer’s Corner Office