People don’t like to talk about their failures, but we all have them. In fact, it’s why we grow so much. So today, I am talking to you about why grammar is a writer’s biggest pitfall, but also the two solutions I’ve found to improve your writing and ensure it’s mistake-free.
First, so much of the time, we don’t have the option to have another set of eyes on our writing. And having someone else as a back up is invaluable if you miss something important.
This is frequently the case with me. And, candidly, some of my biggest failures as a writer happened because I have a hard time stopping with the tweaks. What might have been perfectly written before, might end up with some errors because I like to putter with my message and my sentences to make sure I’m telling the best story possible. Unfortunately, the result of this can be the opposite. One error can mean that the whole piece loses its panache.
Mistakes are embarrassing. Worse yet, it’s what clients remember, even if your work is otherwise phenomenal.
Finding a Solution to Improve Your Writing
So what do you do when you identify a problem? You find a way to fix it. And, if it’s something ongoing or systematic, you find something to stop problems in their tracks proactively.
For me, I have two solutions that help.
Grammarly Saves My Bacon
The first is Grammarly. If you haven’t used it before, I can’t recommend it enough. And that’s because it’s saved my bacon more times than I can count.
The free version is great – you can run any of your pieces through it and it will give you real-time feedback. Better yet is the premium version, which helps you improve your writing. I have also installed the Chrome browser extension so it helps not just with content I write for clients and my own site, but offers suggestions on just about anything I type, including social media.
Where this comes in especially handy is when I fill in holes with partial thoughts. Or similarly, when I tweak what I’m saying to sound better and end up with a nonsensical sentence.
If you decide to give it a shot, I’d appreciate you using my affiliate link!
Time Heals All Errors
While Grammarly makes sure that my pieces are technically sound, I also find that time is a powerful tool for improving them. After all, it’s possible to get too close to your work, even when it comes to short articles.
So I make it a point wherever possible to take a step back from my content and then sit down again with fresh eyes and revisit it. Sometimes an hour is sufficient, but otherwise–and where possible, I like to sleep on it.
Then I re-read every word to make sure that (a) everything makes sense, and (b) there’s no room for improvement. Well, strike that. There’s always room for improvement. However, often I find that some sentences can be written better. Or maybe something needs a little extra punch.
After that, I’m usually completely good with what I submit.
The Takeaway
I want my clients to feel good about what I write. And similarly, I want to feel good about it, too. Yes, mistakes still happen, and, as I mentioned, there’s always room to improve your writing. But, I find errors are much less frequent when I use these two solutions together.
What about you? What are some of your favorite writing tools?
This post contains affiliate links.
