5 Mistakes to Avoid in Your Writing

While there is no limit to what can or should be written, there are mistakes that can be made in actually executing the idea. Here are five major mistakes to avoid in your writing and tips on how to work around them.

1. Poor Grammar
Proper grammar is essential to good writing. You can come up with the single greatest idea in the history of the world, but no one will take you seriously if your syntax is wrong. If you are not good at editing for grammar errors, ask anyone you know to read your work and give feedback. They will most likely notice errors or irregularities you may have never caught. Another way around this is to read your completed piece out loud. Vocalizing the text increases your focus on the written word and allows you to notice elements that just seem awkward.

2. Repetitive Punctuation
Punctuation can be a writer's best friend when used properly. Semi-colons, hyphens, periods, question marks, commas, and more are capable of enhancing your text. However, overuse of these elements can ruin perfectly good writing. Try to vary up your sentence structure with punctuation. A combination of long and short sentences is ideal; by using punctuation creatively, you can expand your ideas without violating proper syntax.

3. Lack of Variety
If every sentence reads the exact same way, writing becomes boring. Liven up your writing with synonyms, analogies, metaphors, allusions, and punctuation. You can have a great idea ruined by a lack of variety. Don't be afraid to experiment with your writing in later drafts. Imagination is your friend, and it doesn't have to be used exclusively for idea development.