How to Make Writing Easier When You Don’t Have Experience

Writing can feel intimidating, especially when you’re just starting out or are venturing on a writing adventure with no experience. You may find yourself staring at a blank page, unsure how to begin or worry that your writing just isn’t good enough. But the trust is, even the most experienced writers face the same challenges. 

The key is not down to talent, it’s down to expertise, training, qualifications and experience. If you’re new to writing or want to take the content of your website into your own hands, then here are a few tips on how to make the process easier when you don’t have the experience or training needed to create quality content:

Start with what you know

If you own a florist, then start your content off by talking about what you have specific knowledge in, so focus on flowers and plants. Create blog post ideas that touch on any and all topics you have expert knowledge in. Google loves content that is relevant and accurate, therefore making it more trustworthy and authoritative. 

This is how you end up higher up in the search engine results pages (SERPs). Even if you don’t own a business or don’t have specific industry knowledge, then talk about personal experiences, lessons you’ve learnt or hobbies you enjoy. This lowers the pressure and helps you focus on expressing yourself rather than researching or inventing content.

Keep things simple

Rule number one of content creation – don’t try too hard. Often, ideas and inspiration will be staring you in the face. You don’t need fancy words or complex grammar to write well. In fact, simple, clear writing is often the most powerful. Aim for short sentences, straightforward vocabulary and a natural tone. Think of writing like having a conversation with someone – just put your thoughts on the page as you’d say them out loud. 

Use prompts, templates & get inspired

Do some research and find other people with an online presence who write about what you want to write about. Take some inspiration from those people. You can also use prompts if you aren’t sure what to write about. Writing templates are also useful as a guide to help get you started. Prompts can spark ideas, and templates help you to organise your thoughts and collate them so that you can get them down in writing, eventually.

Don’t edit as you go along – wait

It’s always best to get your writing down on paper first and then edit afterwards. Proofreading and editing is a whole other process. It’s something that’s done after the writing has concluded. There are specific rules and stages to follow to make sure it’s done effectively and with accuracy. 

Therefore, you cannot write and edit at the same time. In addition, it’s also best to go back to your piece with fresh eyes. Write your content, walk away from it and then come back to it to start the editing stage. One of the biggest mistakes writers can make is to try to write and edit at the same time. 

This kills momentum and often leads to frustration. Instead, focus on getting your thoughts down first – even if they’re messy. Once you’ve finished your first draft, get working on the second. There can be multiple drafts of the same piece. It really depends on the amount of editing that’s needed to make the copy coherent, clear and accurate.

Do some more reading

Reading improves your writing – fact. When you read regularly, you absorb vocabulary, sentence structure, tone and storytelling techniques without even realising it. Try reading a mixture of genres and authors, as well as reading a combination of both fiction and non-fiction to broaden your technique and skill even further.

Practice makes perfect

Like any skill, writing improves with practice. You don’t need to write for hours. Even just 10-15 minutes a day in a journal is enough to make a big difference. Journaling, blogging, writing short stories and posting on social media can help you to build your voice, tone and overall comfort when it comes to wordsmithing.

Get feedback (from everyone)

Once you’ve written your piece, ask people to review it and give you some feedback on it. You can ask everyone for their input, even non-writers. They’ll be able to offer you different perspectives, whereas skilled writers can provide a more technical insight that will fine-tune your writing even further. Not only can feedback enhance individual content pieces, but it can also provide you with some material to learn from. Sharing your writing with others can seem intimidating, but constructive feedback is one of the most effective ways to improve. 

At Kumo, we deliver tailored digital marketing services to businesses across the UK. Based in central Nottingham, our experienced team specialises in SEO, PPC, content development, website design, and more. Want to find out how we can support your business? Get in touch with our friendly, expert team – we’re here to help.