- 1.1 Evaluate Your Skills
- 1.2 Learn About Different Styles
- 1.3 Read More Academic Papers
- 1.4 Create a Writing Routine
- 1.5 Consider Taking Additional Courses
- 1.6 Accept the Possibility of a Failure
Writing can be challenging for many students, but it is possible to get better at it. Similar to any other skill, it can be developed. So, if you want to improve your academic or other types of writing, this article is for you. Here are the useful ways to do that.
6 Best Writing Techniques To Improve Student’s Writing Style
Evaluate Your Skills
Before you get to improving, it is essential to know exactly where you are right now. Otherwise, it will be hard to track progress and identify what to work on.
You need to have a close look at your previous papers and text to figure out what are the challenges and issues. Students can do it themselves and try to stay as objective as possible. They can also look through professors’ notes and feedback.
Another perfect opportunity is to collaborate with professional academic authors. This is also very useful if you do not feel confident in your writing and need someone with an objective perspective. Could someone provide an essay writing service before submission? – if you have such a question, you’ll be glad to know that the answer is “yes.” A designated academic writing platform offers help with writing, editing, and proofreading all types of college assignments.
This means that you can order editing to polish your work to the maximum. You can also ask professionals to do it completely from scratch. In any case, students get excellent results right in time and also have the opportunity to access academic expertise. An experienced author can share their knowledge and offer an unbiased opinion on your writing. So you can know all the weak spots in your style or something you might be doing wrong.
Learn About Different Styles
One of the common mistakes students make in essay writing is that they mix various styles in one paper. So, to nail academic style, you need to learn what makes it different from others and what are the basic rules.
In academia, there are generally four styles you can go for:
- Expository (delivering information and facts);
- Descriptive (painting a picture with some sensory details or figurative language);
- Narrative (often features a plot, setting, characters, and other elements of storytelling);
- Persuasive (is one of the most common in academia as the purpose is to deliver your arguments and persuade readers).
Academic writing is much more formal than many other types. It has strict regulations in terms of word usage, rhetoric methods, and figurative language. For instance, it is better to stick to an active voice and use precise wording. Try to make your sentences shorter without making them too choppy.
Read More Academic Papers
To become a great author, one needs to be an avid reader. If you want to improve your style, you need to read books and peer-reviewed articles regularly. This allows for learning specific figures of speech and best practices.
For instance, you can expand your vocabulary and find out more about relevant transitions between paragraphs in an essay or thesis.
It is important to be an active reader. Please pay attention to the methods the author uses and how they work.
For instance,
- what makes this particular statement or sentence persuasive?
- Is it the way it is presented?
- Is it the supporting evidence? Or is it a slow build-up?
Students might also find it helpful to create a glossary file with various examples from these sources. So, when you are working on your essay, you have a place to go and look for ideas on how to approach the topic better.
Create a Writing Routine
Students might struggle with college assignments because they do not have a structure for such tasks. Structures and action plans make it so much easier to complete anything.
This could look in the form of an outline of actions you need to take to finish an essay. For example:
- Analyze the prompt and figure out the essential details;
- Think about the topic and how you need to address it;
- Do preliminary research to formulate your ideas and thesis focus;
- Draft an essay outline and thesis;
- Research relevant sources to support your perspective;
- Revise the draft with new information;
- Start writing (it is often easier to begin with the main body before moving to the introduction);
- Re-read and edit your work.
Working on your main idea is crucial to stay clear in your paper and be direct.
Consider Taking Additional Courses
Of course, students do have a busy schedule. But if it is possible, consider joining a workshop, additional writing class, or a relevant course. There are plenty of platforms offering free courses for students online.
Any skills you want to boost require practice. Joining a community of like-minded people might help with that. It is also great to learn from those with more experience and do different exercises. This is a valid idea for those who tend to procrastinate and need more internal motivation to keep going.
Also, joining a course adds structure to your learning process.
Accept the Possibility of a Failure
Often, people struggle with something because of high internal or external pressure to succeed. To become better at what you do, you need to accept the fact that you are going to make mistakes. It is a part of the process, and there is no shame in it.
Your first drafts will be far from ideal and it is fine. Edit relentlessly and proofread a paper several times. If you do make a mistake, do not get discouraged. Use it as a learning opportunity – why did you do it? How can you eliminate such errors? Are there some ways to improve your style in this regard?
This will also help to lower the internal pressure of perfectionism.
In Summary
Academic writing requires advanced skills, which might make it difficult for many students. The good thing is that you can get better at it with some effort and time. Make it your priority to boost those skills. Evaluate your writing, learn more about the styles, read regularly, and collaborate with others on it.