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It may be a cliché, but it is still valid advice. You need to give your readers some credit, and let them do the work: imply and suggest without blatantly spelling everything out. Your readers won’t enjoy reading your work if it seems as though it is written for people with two brain cells.

Try this for size:

“Jason entered the room sheepishly, trying not to be noticed. He sat down on the back row, gently, so the chair didn’t creak.”

Or

“Jason slowly opened the door and slipped through. He made his way to an empty seat at the end of the back row and sat down, taking care not to move the creaky plastic chair.”

The latter suggests the first, and though it uses more words to do so, it gives the reader a clearer impression of what is happening. Actions speak louder than words (while we’re on clichés) so make sure your writing is full of actions and movement, not stilted phrases and explanations.

Edit any written work thoroughly

Writers should always read over the text they have just written to check for inconsistencies or grammatical errors. Those who think that they can type away forever and not make a mistake are only kidding themselves.

A good technique for reading over text is to leave your work for a few hours before re-reading and then editing it. Sleeping on an article you have completed is a great way to take a step back and reflect on what you have written. Any work you do that is rushed, and written at the last minute, will not be up to the much needed high standard that you must set yourself, if your ultimate aim is to become a professional writer.

Be descriptive

Readers always want to feel like they are part of the story so they can visualise the experience. This way they can create a picture of the story being told or the surroundings of the descriptive text. If you use descriptive words and terms throughout your text, including references to past experiences or things that the general public can connect with, you are well on the way to captivating your audience.

If your readers cannot visualise what you are trying to say, or do not have empathy for one of your characters, this can immediately leave them feeling alienated and hence they will soon get bored and stop reading your text.

Don’t be boring

You need to keep the readers of your material engrossed in what you have to say. Your writing style can of course change depending on your subject matter. But if you want people to read what you have written and you want to be successful – don’t be boring.

Being boring comes naturally to a lot of people. And, those who are boring won’t like to admit that they are. You may be boring and the subject matter may be boring but your text doesn’t have to be. If you are writing on a boring subject keeping your reader intrigued is the most important consideration you need to make. Your reader doesn’t have to be your biggest fan, but if they read to the end of your text you have succeeded in the task you set out to do.

Aim your writing style at your target audience

If you are writing a thesis on particle physics you may have to adapt your writing style for your target audience. If you are however writing for your local newspaper, you may have to change your style so the people who are going to read it know what you want to say.

It is important to keep your readers interest when they read the article you have written. If you aim at the wrong sort of reader there is a good chance you will lose them before the end of the first paragraph. It won’t make any difference if the article is boring or perhaps the most interesting subject you have ever covered.

It is worth noting that knowing the subject you are writing about is of paramount importance. If you know the subject there is a good chance that the content and style will be of a higher quality and hence your target audience will stay focused.

Over the next five articles we are going to focus on five key areas that may help you to become a more proficient writer.

If you are struggling to find the perfect writing job or perhaps just starting out on the path to your new career, taking heed of a few words of wisdom from someone who has seen just about every writing style might be just what you need.

Tip number 1 – Read and write like your life depends on it

Those who are proficient at writing also read extensively. If you want to be a writer you need to read different types of material at different levels. Only this way will you become more rounded and develop your own writing style. It goes without saying that the more you do something the better you get. So, as well as reading to become a better write you need to spend more time writing too.

When you have written a few paragraphs, read them back to yourself and then try to write what you have written in a different style or in a different way. If you keep doing this you will be amazed at how your style develops and how quickly the flow of your writing style improves.

One of the most important parts of working as a freelance writer is building relationships with editors. This process starts when you first pitch an idea and continues as long as you work for that publication.

With this in mind, it pays not to burn any bridges. You might be displeased with what you are being paid. You might get offended when an article is rejected. In these situations, it is often wise to bite your lip and look at the bigger picture.

Your relationship with an editor is likely to get better as time goes on, so where once you were pitching very specific ideas and having articles rejected, you might now be able to pitch an idea in a couple of lines and the editor will have confidence that you will do a good job.

As you get to know the publication and the editor better, so they will have more trust in your ability to produce articles which fit their needs. And as you build that relationship, you might find that your ability to negotiate better rates of pay improves too.

Here’s a question for you: where did I write all my best articles?

If you think the answer is ‘at the computer’, you’d be wrong. You probably didn’t say that though because the title of this post rather gives the game away.

Maybe you think I wrote them on my phone or on a laptop on the beach. Again, wrong. Pretty much all of my best writing was done while I was walking somewhere.

Walking gives you time to think and get your ideas in order. When you’re sitting at the computer, you’re constantly tempted to get things down as you think of them. This often means you spend your time thinking about how to word things and how to structure the article.

Those things need doing, but you might not be up to that point yet. Your idea might need a bit of honing. Away from the computer, you can get your ideas in order and when you finally sit down in front of the screen, you’ll find the words flow much more easily.

As a freelance writer, it might sometimes be tempting to submit an article you’re not entirely happy with. If you know it will be accepted, you might want to submit it and move onto the next project. Don’t.

The reason why this is a bad idea is because your articles are more than just a certain number of words that you have sold to a publication. They also serve a second function and this function is far more important in the long run.

Your articles are adverts for you and your work

You never know who is going to read your articles. A good article might lead to further work from another source somewhere down the line. A shit article might mark you out as a shit writer and turn people away.

Freelance writing rates can be misleading. If you work as a freelance and tell people about the rates you charge, people are often amazed. They will probably think you’re really rich when the reality is that you’re barely getting by.

Why is this?

Think about it for more than a second and you’ll realise that it’s because a freelance writer isn’t writing for 37.5 hours a week. The work you do depends on what you can sell to editors and this will rarely be consistent. You will spend a lot of time researching articles, proposing ideas and invoicing as well. All of this eats into your time and all of it is essentially unpaid.

When looking at your finances, always factor these elements into your calculations. Your article rates might seem a lot to other people, but are they actually enough?