When you are reading your writing, all you need to do is to watch out for seven typical weak points. "If you can find them and fix them, you will be well on your way to improving your writing skills" advises Derek Haines. You can learn how to become a better writer by noticing common weaknesses:
The Passive Is To Be Eradicated
Well, I should say that you need to eradicate the passive. It is the first piece of advice great writers learn.
The active voice is always more descriptive and gives much more information. The passive voice is quick and easy, and because of this, it very often simply slips out of a writer’s fingers in a first draft. But it is uninformative.
As soon as you see the verb to be followed by a past participle, change it as in the following examples.
I was instructed to go on a diet. My doctor instructed me to go on a diet.
We have been told that our flight has been delayed.
The airline told us that there was a delay in our flight.
The airline told us that there was a delay in our flight.
This, That and The Other
This might come as a surprise. Um, what will? Starting a sentence with this or that is usually a bad idea because it is often an unclear pronoun.
I didn’t finish high school. That was because I had to work.
I didn’t finish high school because I had to work.
I didn’t finish high school because I had to work.
The government is out of control. This is why I won’t vote for them.
I won’t vote for the government because it is out of control.
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I won’t vote for the government because it is out of control.
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Read all of Derek Haines' fantastic advice on how to become a better writer:
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