You don’t have to be a novelist, poet, journalist or academic to call yourself a “writer”. Most of us frequently write in some shape or form as part of our daily lives, at work and at home. And most of us have a clear self-belief in whether we are a good “writer” or not.
People who have a flair for the written word will often be called on to informally edit others’ writing, to handle important correspondence or to help write friends’ speeches and resumes.
People who aren’t confident in their writing ability will often apologise in advance before people read their work. They will say things like: “I am not a good writer” or “I am a shocking speller” or “excuse the bad grammar”.
Considering how much people rely on written communication these days (think SMS, email, social media) it amazes me how many people simply accept they are poor writers rather than trying to address these crucial communication skills.
They’ll whack an apostrophe in a word “because it looks right”, rely on spellcheck to correct their literals or (cover your ears grammar lovers) adopt a no-one-cares-anyway attitude.
Poor written communicators are often unfairly judged as uneducated or unintelligent. Sharpening these skills is a good way to boost your self esteem, give you confidence in your written work and take pride in what you produce. It also helps to boost your esteem in the eyes of others. And it is never too late!
Some people believe you are “born” a writer. I don’t subscribe to this theory. Even Shakespeare, Dickens and Hemmingway must have had some help along the way.
It may be old but the concise textbook The Elements of Style by Strunk & White is still a good place to start –- you can get it online for free. And if you are really serious about making simple but effective changes to your written communication skills consider a power writing course from Keen Eye Communications and you’ll never have to make excuses for your writing again!