Want to become a better Writer and Reader?

A student of mine once asked how he could improve his writing skills and become better at reading and analyzing stories.  After a bit of pondering on the matter, I came up with a list of various ways to improve. Here is what I told him:

1. Read and Write!  First and foremost, if you want to become better at something, do more of it.  The greatest athletes, musicians, and artists of the world don't get better at their crafts and skills by simply and only attending mandatory practices and doing assignments.  They seek opportunities to practice as much and as long as they can.  The same applies if you want to become better at reading and writing.  Furthermore, here are some more specific suggestions:

• • On reading ~ Find things that interest you.  The more you are interested, the more likely you are to absorb and to finish.  Try to vary the types of reading from fiction to nonfiction, from short to long, and varying genres. Read for pleasure. Read to learn new things. Read to be informed.  And whenever possible, try to obtain and read the highest quality of words.  If you want to read the news, then "pick up" the New York Times or Washington Post; periodicals that still maintain high levels of editorial style.  

  • On Writing ~ Daily diligence! Whether writing in a journal, and idea book, a blog,  or for school/work, it should be a practice that is continually honed. So do as much of it as you can each and every day.  Beyond that, find opportunities to practice.  Whether writing for personal gain or obligations, seek opportunities to prove yourself.  Write narratives, poetry, lyrics, opinions, or simply record as much as you can.  But don't be afraid to challenge yourself.  Assign yourself tasks (instead of waiting for someone to assign them to you).  Seek topics to write on or subjects to write about.  

2.  Build your Vocabulary!  In addition to the tips above, building ones vocabulary not only gives you more ways to express yourself in your writing, but also to build your ability to comprehend, evaluate, and analyze what you read.   Get into the practice of keeping a tool close (a smartphone will do) while you read that allows you to look up unknown or unfamiliar words.  Keep marking tools as well (post-it notes, writing utensils, etc) in order to mark the words and phrases you want to come back to.  Active reading will always help you become more engaged and thereby a more effective reader.  Even if reading for pleasure, you could always be marking up for valuable quotes that may be good takeaways.  And it still can't hurt to try vocabulary builders such as vocab books or websites. Try FreeRice.org for example! Check the Collegeboard website.  Find challenging authors.

3.  Pre- and Post-Writing!  One of the most valuable things you can do to be a better writer is to take advantage of pre-writing strategies.  

• • On pre-writing ~ Aside from brainstorming and other techniques, the outlining and mapping out of your ideas is so important.  No one begins a life journey without first mapping it out. Set the destination. Find the best route to get there.  If you were to travel long distance, at the bare minimum, you must plug your destination into the GPS, look at how long the trip will take and what general direction. But you'd also be better served to check that route's traffic and plot out any potential service areas and rest stops. And if you're really thinking ahead, you'd evaluate the route for scenery potential, interesting sites along the way, and maybe even plan appropriate side stops to see family, friends, or long-to-be-visited places.  So when it comes to writing, you need to be clear about not only your thesis/theme as well as its supporting points, but you also need to be well aware of every sub-point, sub-sub-point, research (and citation), and anything else you need to include. You should plan out your transitions, your topic sentences, your anecdotes, and your concluding thoughts.  If given enough care and forethought, the writing itself will take care of itself.  

  • On post-writing ~ Finally, though, once you have written what it is you want to write, you need to revise, revise, and revise some more.  Use available tools (technology, guides, etc). But also utilizes your peers. Seek out those who you can trust to give honest feedback.  Use editing tools (self-check worksheets etc) to help keep your own proofing as objective as possible.  Once you've put it through the ringer enough times (sometimes eliminating material, sometimes adding), then it may finally be good to submit, publish, or share.

Probably quite obviously, there are a number of things you can do to improve your reading and writing skill sets.  But the information outlined above, I feel, will give you a leg up to being a well-accomplished student and effective communicator in life!