How to Write Effectively
Identify your purpose., Identify your reader., Try freewriting to find your ideas., Select a main idea., Fill in several supporting details for each main idea., Organize your ideas into an effective outline., Try another organizational tool if...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Identify your purpose.
Are you writing something for a school assignment? Writing an e-mail or letter to a friend? Writing creatively? Different types of writing have different goals, and you'll need to identify the purpose of your piece to write it effectively.
Look at your assignment sheet or writing prompt to find the purpose of school projects.
If it's a question, your purpose is to answer the question.
If you're writing correspondence, your purpose is to update the person about your life, to communicate, or to respond to their writing.
If you're writing a story or poem, your purpose is to entertain. -
Step 2: Identify your reader.
If you're writing a card to your spouse, you'll want to write differently than a note to your doctor.
What will the reader expect of your writing? What do they already know? , If you can't figure out the best way to start, just start writing and see where it goes.
Set a 10 minute time limit and don't stop typing or writing until the ten minutes is up, then look back to see if you found an interesting idea on which to build.
If you don't like freewriting, try talking out loud and recording it on your phone, making lists, or a mind map. , When someone reads this piece of writing, what do you want them to learn? This could be one sentence or a few.
Effective writing starts out with an interesting and complicated main idea.
If you're responding to a prompt for an assignment, your main idea should be your answer to the question being asked.
If you're writing a letter, your main idea should be some topic from your life.
If you're writing a story or poem, your main idea should be a plot, theme, or style. , What makes your main idea true? Think of the main idea like the top of a table.
It doesn't do much good without the supporting legs to hold it up.
A good main idea needs lots of specific, convincing details, or it won't be worth much.
Try to come up with at least three supporting details for each main idea in your writing. , The order you came up with your original ideas might not be the most effective order.
To make your writing more effective, organize your points such that they will meet the reader's expectations and support your main ideas logically.
To learn to organize a formal outline, read this article. , If you don't like outlining, there are a variety of other organizational tools you can use to structure your ideas:
Idea web Flow charts Mind maps Lists Diagrams , A thesis statement is a single sentence that summarizes what the reader will learn in your writing.
It needs to be clear, concise, and in the first paragraph of most writing., Ineffective writing will often attempt to create "suspense" or delay the main ideas to try to include "hooks" in the early parts of writing.
It's far more effective to just get to the point and let your strong ideas do the work. , Don't stress too much about paragraphs.
Each time you change ideas, it's probably time for a new paragraph.
When you've written all there is to write about each idea, start a new paragraph. , As you're writing, include all your good supporting details for each main point, and be sure that you connect each main idea back to the thesis it should be supporting.
Make the connection explicit and clear. , Avoid vague and abstract language.
Instead of writing, "Seriously crazy weather is sometimes reported in Florida," use concrete details.
Write, "Summer weather in Florida is often extremely humid and damp."
Periodically, it's important to remind the reader why what they're reading is important, and what it should be proving.
This helps to transition between sentences and paragraphs.
After introducing a supporting detail, use signpost phrases like, "This displays..." or "It's important to note that..."
Most inexperienced writers write too short, and haven't fully explained the connections between their main ideas, support, and thesis.
If you're worried about running too short in your writing, focus on explaining more, not filling the draft with fluff. , As you're writing your draft, don't worry about "sounding smart." The first draft of any writing needs to focus on communicating your ideas, not impressing someone with your vocabulary. , After you finish a draft, read it with a pencil in your hand, or your finger on the delete button.
If you see something that repeats a point you've already made, or wastes the reader's time, delete it.
Anything that isn't working to prove the main idea is ineffective wasted space.
It's sometimes necessary to eliminate unnecessary sentences, ideas, points, sections, or even paragraphs to make a piece more effective. , Make sure your subjects and verbs agree, and replace weak verbs to avoid passive voice.
Weak verbs include "is" "was" "be" and "have." Learn to replace weak verbs with more active verbs to make your writing more vigorous.
Instead of writing "A big crowd has been lured downtown," use a stronger verb than "has been." Try, "The festival lured a big crowd downtown," replacing the verb with the stronger "lured." Look for sentences that start with the word "there" for a quick tip to weak verbs. , Bad writing is wordy and wastes the reader's time.
Good writing is concise, cutting straight to the point.
Don't use two words when a single more accurate word is sufficient.
Instead of writing "The party was super fun and exciting," write, "The party was thrilling."
Any sentence that involves multiple "ands" or semi-colons needs to be cut into more than one sentence.
In general, avoid semi-colons and sentences with more than one clause. , Does your writing accomplish what you wanted it to accomplish? Does it explain the main idea fully and clearly? If so, you're ready to move on to late concerns. , Read over the improved draft and look for misspellings, typos, and punctuation errors.
This should be one of the last things you do with a draft before it is finished. , Ask a friend or family member to read your writing and ask them for specific feedback by having them tell you what they thought the main idea was, or having them write it at the end of the piece.
Did they get it right? If not, keep working to make it more effective. -
Step 3: Try freewriting to find your ideas.
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Step 4: Select a main idea.
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Step 5: Fill in several supporting details for each main idea.
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Step 6: Organize your ideas into an effective outline.
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Step 7: Try another organizational tool if necessary.
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Step 8: Start with your most important main idea
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Step 9: called your thesis.
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Step 10: Get right to the point.
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Step 11: Use one paragraph for each important idea.
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Step 12: Connect each main idea to your thesis.
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Step 13: Be specific.
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Step 14: Give the reader "signposts."
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Step 15: Err on the side of over-explaining.
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Step 16: Focus on writing your ideas
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Step 17: not the wording.
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Step 18: Cut everything that doesn't move your ideas forward.
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Step 19: Replace weak verbs with strong verbs.
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Step 20: Eliminate unnecessary words.
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Step 21: Look for run-on sentences.
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Step 22: Look back at your original purpose and make sure it matches.
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Step 23: Proofread last.
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Step 24: Get feedback
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Step 25: if possible.
Detailed Guide
Are you writing something for a school assignment? Writing an e-mail or letter to a friend? Writing creatively? Different types of writing have different goals, and you'll need to identify the purpose of your piece to write it effectively.
Look at your assignment sheet or writing prompt to find the purpose of school projects.
If it's a question, your purpose is to answer the question.
If you're writing correspondence, your purpose is to update the person about your life, to communicate, or to respond to their writing.
If you're writing a story or poem, your purpose is to entertain.
If you're writing a card to your spouse, you'll want to write differently than a note to your doctor.
What will the reader expect of your writing? What do they already know? , If you can't figure out the best way to start, just start writing and see where it goes.
Set a 10 minute time limit and don't stop typing or writing until the ten minutes is up, then look back to see if you found an interesting idea on which to build.
If you don't like freewriting, try talking out loud and recording it on your phone, making lists, or a mind map. , When someone reads this piece of writing, what do you want them to learn? This could be one sentence or a few.
Effective writing starts out with an interesting and complicated main idea.
If you're responding to a prompt for an assignment, your main idea should be your answer to the question being asked.
If you're writing a letter, your main idea should be some topic from your life.
If you're writing a story or poem, your main idea should be a plot, theme, or style. , What makes your main idea true? Think of the main idea like the top of a table.
It doesn't do much good without the supporting legs to hold it up.
A good main idea needs lots of specific, convincing details, or it won't be worth much.
Try to come up with at least three supporting details for each main idea in your writing. , The order you came up with your original ideas might not be the most effective order.
To make your writing more effective, organize your points such that they will meet the reader's expectations and support your main ideas logically.
To learn to organize a formal outline, read this article. , If you don't like outlining, there are a variety of other organizational tools you can use to structure your ideas:
Idea web Flow charts Mind maps Lists Diagrams , A thesis statement is a single sentence that summarizes what the reader will learn in your writing.
It needs to be clear, concise, and in the first paragraph of most writing., Ineffective writing will often attempt to create "suspense" or delay the main ideas to try to include "hooks" in the early parts of writing.
It's far more effective to just get to the point and let your strong ideas do the work. , Don't stress too much about paragraphs.
Each time you change ideas, it's probably time for a new paragraph.
When you've written all there is to write about each idea, start a new paragraph. , As you're writing, include all your good supporting details for each main point, and be sure that you connect each main idea back to the thesis it should be supporting.
Make the connection explicit and clear. , Avoid vague and abstract language.
Instead of writing, "Seriously crazy weather is sometimes reported in Florida," use concrete details.
Write, "Summer weather in Florida is often extremely humid and damp."
Periodically, it's important to remind the reader why what they're reading is important, and what it should be proving.
This helps to transition between sentences and paragraphs.
After introducing a supporting detail, use signpost phrases like, "This displays..." or "It's important to note that..."
Most inexperienced writers write too short, and haven't fully explained the connections between their main ideas, support, and thesis.
If you're worried about running too short in your writing, focus on explaining more, not filling the draft with fluff. , As you're writing your draft, don't worry about "sounding smart." The first draft of any writing needs to focus on communicating your ideas, not impressing someone with your vocabulary. , After you finish a draft, read it with a pencil in your hand, or your finger on the delete button.
If you see something that repeats a point you've already made, or wastes the reader's time, delete it.
Anything that isn't working to prove the main idea is ineffective wasted space.
It's sometimes necessary to eliminate unnecessary sentences, ideas, points, sections, or even paragraphs to make a piece more effective. , Make sure your subjects and verbs agree, and replace weak verbs to avoid passive voice.
Weak verbs include "is" "was" "be" and "have." Learn to replace weak verbs with more active verbs to make your writing more vigorous.
Instead of writing "A big crowd has been lured downtown," use a stronger verb than "has been." Try, "The festival lured a big crowd downtown," replacing the verb with the stronger "lured." Look for sentences that start with the word "there" for a quick tip to weak verbs. , Bad writing is wordy and wastes the reader's time.
Good writing is concise, cutting straight to the point.
Don't use two words when a single more accurate word is sufficient.
Instead of writing "The party was super fun and exciting," write, "The party was thrilling."
Any sentence that involves multiple "ands" or semi-colons needs to be cut into more than one sentence.
In general, avoid semi-colons and sentences with more than one clause. , Does your writing accomplish what you wanted it to accomplish? Does it explain the main idea fully and clearly? If so, you're ready to move on to late concerns. , Read over the improved draft and look for misspellings, typos, and punctuation errors.
This should be one of the last things you do with a draft before it is finished. , Ask a friend or family member to read your writing and ask them for specific feedback by having them tell you what they thought the main idea was, or having them write it at the end of the piece.
Did they get it right? If not, keep working to make it more effective.
About the Author
Janet Barnes
Creates helpful guides on crafts to inspire and educate readers.
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