Evolve your Writing Style

By Craig Ritsema

To some, writing comes naturally – all they need to do is begin hammering at the keyboard or putting pen on paper and words start coming out of nowhere. However, many people get mental cramps if they have to write anything, and the result is that they struggle a lot and often come out with inferior text. Now, everyone has to write something almost on a daily basis – it can be writing while at work or for personal reasons, but writing is a must. Irrespective of the fact whether words come naturally or not, a person should evolve a writing style that makes him sound unique. The following are a few helpful tips on how to get a writing style going:
One of the best ways to develop or evolve your writing style would be to read the works of great authors. Reading and imbibing the works of great authors not only exposes you to some fantastic prose, it inspires and motivates you too. Your mind begins seeing things in a new light and gradually your thoughts begin to flow on to paper.
Secondly, always figure out what it is it that you enjoy writing – it can be short and snappy snippets, it can be fictional stories, it can be factual guides, one-liners, ad-libs, or it can be first-person opinions. It's simple to figure this out. Now, write out a piece and see the style of writing that suits you – is it snappy, humorous, to-the-point, chicken soup-ish, etc.?
Having figured out your core writing strengths, you need to make a start. Take out time daily to write; if you seriously want to develop your writing style, then this is a simple task. Begin by posting your thoughts, opinions or stories on web logs and forums. You will find that after a month of practice, your writing has picked up and the time taken to write articles has gradually decreased.
Of course, you will make mistakes while posting on the web logs and forums written about above, but that's okay. These pieces are not meant to be perfect; they are intended to get you off the ground. You will see that in a matter of time, words begin flowing naturally and an improvement in your writing style – in fact, you will slowly start adopting different styles of writing for different groups of readers.
The next step is to blend your persona into your writing. Pay attention to the words that you speak everyday and get them into your writing. This will make your writing more natural to read and easy to follow, just like how easy it is to understand you and laugh at your witticisms when you speak to people. Ultimately, your goal should be to "converse" with the readers, by plugging in short, easy to understand sentences.
When you begin writing, make sure you aren't disturbed. Focus on what you are going to write and start. Make mistakes galore and don't bother about grammar and spelling – no problem, but just go on at it.
When you're done, read what you have written and review it. It may be structurally wrong or it may be full of mistakes – whatever it is, it is a start and it will surely make you write the next piece better. This is the beginning of the evolution of your writing style.