Improving The Written Word

What if you love writing but struggle with your grammar and punctuation? What if your written style leaves a lot to be desired? Could you still make it as a writer? Well, yes your could, because like all good things out there, nothing is impossible once you will it. Or in this case, nothing is impossible once you learn it!

What is house style? House style is one of those unique buzzwords you will find wafting around job sites for writers and simply refers to your own unique written style. If someone is mentioned as having a great house style, it means they write really well. Everything reads well, it flows logically and is a pleasure to read.

How many times have you picked up a book and thought to yourself that the written style is so awful that you avoid reading it again? This has happened to me many times. For me, if something is well written (good grammar, punctuation and spelling etc), it doesn't automatically mean that it will read well. There are thousands of books out there that are written well, but reading it becomes a dull chore. What you will often find is that the author has tried to be too clever - injecting lots of big words in there that make it difficult for even a seasoned writer to read it without getting hung up over certain words.

Writing with a good house style means you ENJOY reading it just as much as all the technical things to make your work right such as spelling and grammar etc. Next time you write something, read it out aloud. How does it read? Does it sound smooth and does it flow from one part to the next? Or does it sound awkward and jerky? If it sounds weird, then you should re-write it until it sounds better.

As for improving your written English, this should be easy because it is nothing that cannot be learnt.
Try an English course such as 'Essential English' by Nick Daws, who is a leading writer and an expert of the written word. He has an excellent written style, and his course is designed to improve your English quickly, so you will have the confidence to write well.