Improving Your Writing Skills

"It's not what you say; it's how you say it."

How many times have you heard that? Well, it's true, at least when it comes to the written word. Precision counts, especially in publishing. Creative and concise writing is essential, but careful proofreading is paramount.

Vocabulary is vital. Choosing and using the right words at the opportune time can spell the difference between a wordsmith and a hack. Spelling those terms correctly proves the distinction.

What steps can you take to beef up your vocabulary, sharpen your spelling and perfect your proofreading skills?

Read everything you can!

Reading expands your vocabulary and sharpens your spelling skills.

Our fast-paced culture slants towards immediate information. We want our news in quick sound-bites, rather than reading full-length features. Why not pick up some reading material, while your kids finish sports practice, or as you sit in the doctor's waiting room? If you ride the train or bus to work, how about scanning the newspaper or a magazine along the way?

The more you read, the more you will recognize correct words.

Do crossword puzzles.

Most daily newspapers offer super examples. The Sunday crosswords tend to be the most challenging (especially The New York Times puzzles, which are syndicated nationally). Basically, you cannot complete these criss-cross puzzles, unless you spell all of the words correctly. They simply won't match up.

Play word-related board games.

Gather your friends and family, and boost everyone's word power by playing Scrabble, Boggle, and other challenging word games. Pull out a dictionary to check unknown words. Watch everyone's spelling abilities grow, as you have fun together!

Practice word searches.

Word-find puzzles are tricky and fun to solve. These offer excellent practice in working with correctly spelled words. Books of puzzles are widely available, and you can even play with these online for free.

Play online word games.