5 Online Tools to Boost Your Writing Skills
Feb 24, 2024In the digital age, creating compelling content is not just an art; it’s a necessity. Whether you’re drafting a blog, writing a social media post, or crafting an email, the clarity, engagement, and correctness of your writing can significantly impact your success. I have an academic and corporate background so I tend to overcomplicate my writing. One of my challenges has been, trying to fit everything into the word limitations of social media captions. And another has been writing in a way that’s simple to understand. Thankfully, several online tools have helped me to refine my writing skills. In this post, I’ll be sharing my favourite online tools to boost your writing skills.
Before we get into the tools, let’s talk about some general ways to boost your writing skills.
What are 5 good writing skills?
- Clarity: Being clear is paramount. Your reader shouldn’t have to decipher your message.
- Conciseness: Brevity is the soul of wit. Keep it short and sweet.
- Engagement: Write in a way that captivates your audience.
- Correctness: Grammar and spelling matter. They lend credibility to your writing.
- Adaptability: Be versatile. Adjust your tone and style to match your audience.
What are 11 steps to boost your writing skills?
While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, these steps have been game-changers for me:
- Read daily: Exposure to good writing can improve your own.
- Write regularly: Practice makes perfect.
- Seek feedback: Constructive criticism is invaluable.
- Edit ruthlessly: Don’t be afraid to cut or revise.
- Study grammar: Understand the rules before you break them.
- Expand your vocabulary: A rich vocabulary allows for precise expression.
- Understand your audience: Tailor your writing to their needs and preferences.
- Organise your thoughts: Clear structure leads to clear writing.
- Experiment: Play with styles and genres.
- Stay curious: Always look for ways to learn and improve.
- Use technology: Leverage tools to save time and enhance quality.
What are 5 tools to boost your writing skills?
- CoSchedule Headline Analyser: analyses how well your headlines will perform
- Hemingway Editor: scores your writing for readability and gives tips on how to improve
- Grammarly: cleans up your writing by finding grammatical mistakes, spelling errors, and typos.
- Yoast SEO: using a traffic light system it scores your post for Readability and SEO.
- ChatGPT: helps with editing, rewriting and optimising content
COSCHEDULE HEADLINE ANALYSER
Content is more engaging and attention-grabbing with a good headline. Type yours into this app and it gives you a score and tells you what areas are done well and what can be improved. Try it here.
HEMINGWAY EDITOR
Readability is one of the most important elements of any piece of content you share. Unless you’re writing academic papers you don’t need to be writing in jargon and over-the-top language. If it’s too hard to understand you’ll lose people. This tool helps you to ensure the reading level is easy to read. Try it here.
GRAMMARLY
Grammarly cleans up your writing by finding grammatical mistakes, spelling errors, and typos. You can download a plugin so it’s active on any website you’re using and automatically proofreads your text. Access it here.
YOAST SEO
This is specifically for blogging and is only accessible as a WordPress plugin. Using a traffic light system it scores your post for Readability and SEO and highlights all the areas that need improvement to increase your score. Get it here.
CHATGPT
I use this to help me with edits when I’m stuck. Rather than paying for all the other apps, I take their prompts and plug them into ChatGPT and get it to help me rewrite phrases etc. with the notes given. For example, I get it to help me rewrite passive voice into active voice, or shorten hard-to-read sentences. Access it here.
What is the best online writing platform?
If you want to start practicing your writing skills you could create a website and start running a blog from there. But that takes a bit of extra skill and isn’t always necessary. A way to fast-track this process would be to set up an account on a communal online writing platform like Medium or Substack.
The beauty of these online writing platforms is that they also provide you with an opportunity to earn extra income through readers and subscribers.
If you would prefer to start your own blog, I’ve written a guide on how to do it. Read it here.
Which is the best writing tool?
I love them all, but for me, Hemingway Editor wins this round. It encourages brevity and clarity in writing, much like Ernest Hemingway’s iconic style. This tool has taught me to eliminate unnecessary words and write in a more straightforward, impactful manner.
What is the best AI for writing?
Without a doubt, ChatGPT. It’s not just a tool; it’s a revolution. From generating ideas to drafting entire articles, ChatGPT has become an indispensable part of my creative process. It’s like brainstorming with a genius who never runs out of ideas.
How can I train myself to write better?
Incorporate writing into your daily routine. Challenge yourself with new topics and formats. Use tools like Coschedule Headline Analyzer to refine your titles and Yoast SEO to ensure your content is discoverable. Most importantly, keep an open mind and be willing to learn from every piece of feedback.
It boils down to these things: practice, feedback, and the right tools. Write as much as you can, seek out constructive criticism, and don’t hesitate to use the plethora of online tools at your disposal.
Some extra notes to boost your writing skills
Enhancing your writing skills is a journey, not a destination. It requires dedication, curiosity, and the right set of tools. From Grammarly’s precision to Hemingway’s simplicity, and ChatGPT’s creativity, these online resources have been invaluable in improving my writing. Whether you’re a seasoned writer or just starting, every word you write brings you closer to mastery.
Navigating the vast array of online tools can be overwhelming, but the Tech Witch Tools Spreadsheet simplifies this by providing a curated list of the best tools for creators, helping you make informed decisions to support your creative endeavours.
And for those seeking to fully equip themselves, the Tech Witch Toolkit is an invaluable resource, offering everything from templates to tech briefs, designed to streamline your business operations and elevate your content creation process.
You can also chat to my Tech Witch GPT for personalised guidance on your content creation journey.
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