Want To Be A Content Writer? Take this reality check
You love words, enjoy reading and get fascinated by stringing sentences together?
A career in content writing may be charming, yes certainly.
But before you plunge in, do a reality check.
Is this something that has caught your fancy recently?
Or have you always wanted to be a content writer?
Either way it’s a good profession to be in which is not definitely bound by a physical location.
Isn’t that what we want? Work remotely, have work life balance, and also do some meaningful work done?
Yes, a career in content writing surely affords you all this. But why don’t you ask these questions before you become a full-fledged content writer.
- How strong is your English Grammar?
This is the fundamental. And I am sure you know this. Constructing grammatically correct sentences is the first and foremost aspect of good writing. When I say grammar, it includes punctuation, use of capitals, tenses, word order, and connectors.
Why Grammar Is a Timeless Subject to Study and Teach
“A man’s grammar, like Caesar’s wife, should not only be pure, but above suspicion of impurity.”
― Edgar Allan Poe
- How rich is your vocabulary?
This is the second important aspect of writing. Imagine reading the same words again in an article of 300 words. Enrich your vocabulary with new words. Don’t use new and confusing words for the sake of using them. But they should slip in naturally within the prose and the flow of language.
“Don’t use a five-dollar word when a fifty-cent word will do.”
― Mark Twain
- Do you read every day?
The only way to improve your language is to read voraciously. Gobble up anything that comes your way. It can be as simple as catching up with the morning newspaper. See how sentences are stitched together, observe how paragraphs are formed, notice the heading and subheadings.
To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark. —Victor Hugo
- Do you write every day?
Another super aspect that determines your success as a writer. Write every day. When you do this try different forms, prose as long form articles, poems if you are interested, short stories if you enjoy story mode. Then there is blogging, new age way of showing your work to the world. This will help you determine which niche of writing you want to focus on.
“You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.”
― Jodi Picoult
- What type of writer do you want to be?
Under the umbrella term of content writing there are many subcategories. You can be a business content writer within an organization. Then you can be a blogger specializing in a topic. You can be a technical writer penning user manuals and guides. You can be a marketing content writer creating brochures and fliers. Website content writer too. And journalist yes. So where do you want to focus on? Learn the Types of Writing: Expository, Descriptive, Persuasive, and Narrative
- Do you edit your writing?
As important as writing is, equally so is editing. Hone your editing skills. Look at your writing objectively and remove extra verbiage, and redundancy. Check for readability. Yes, and proofread, please. Importantly format your editing. Logical segregation of paragraphs, headings that are attention grabbing and sub heading that lead the reader in. A Better Approach to Group Editing
- Are you on top of technology?
Be a talented writer, but also be a smart one too. Make use of the different types of editing, formatting tools available to make short work of your writing. Several of them are free, I use Grammarly and it helps. More and more writers are leaning towards these. The 21 Best Writing Tools of 2022: A Guide for Writers.
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And yes, you can read more of my blogs on Branding and Content Marketing right here. And would love to talk to you to discuss your content marketing goals for your organization – bhuvanarajaram9@gmail.com or + 91 98415 96366 (Whatsapp also).
