The third best way to improve your writing skills is to get feedback. The best way is to read anything and everything you can lay your hands on. And we all know the second-best way—practice. Practice until your fingers bleed.
This article focuses on the third best way—feedback.
Why get someone else to review your writing?
Okay, so you read. You practiced until your fingerprints vanished. And still, you have this niggly feeling that all is not well with your writing.
Would you like to find out what the problem is?
The best way?
Get someone reliable to review your writing.
As a writer, I know how daunting it can be to receive criticism on your writing. You've spent countless hours pouring your heart and soul onto the page. The thought of handing your work over to someone else to critique can be discouraging.
Trust me, though, getting feedback on your writing is an essential part of the writing process.
By focusing on specific strengths and weaknesses and providing actionable suggestions for improvement, reviewers help writers improve their writing and become better writers.
Who should I ask to review my writing?
Implore, bribe, or beg an experienced writer (check their credentials first) to do a free review of your writing. Or keep an eye out for my freebies—I give them out occasionally. But you have to be quick!
Be sure to connect with me on LinkedIn, where I include them in my posts.
Were you one of those who missed out on my freebie reviews? Sorry, the competition out there is tough.
But all is not lost—I have your back.
You can still get my full review and candid feedback to help you grow as a skilled writer.
But this time, you have to pay—not too much. Why? I've been in your shoes, so I keep my rates as low as possible. But I have to eat—those darn olives in my salad don’t come cheap.
The Review 'Nitty Gritties'
These are the steps you need to follow if you want your review process to be smooth sailing.
1. What you will need to send me:
Two to three pieces of your non-fiction writing.
It can be a blog article, a social media post, or even a chapter of your book.
2. How will you get it to me?
Contact me for details of formats and where to send your stuff.
I prefer working with MS Word docs because feedback and commenting on the doc is easy.
However, I also work with Google Docs and PDFs.
3. What you will get:
100% focused attention on your content pieces.
Detailed reviews and constructive feedback, or as my friend Neela calls it, feedforward.
I also throw in some edits so you can see what an editor sees when reading your writing.
Why….
Getting feedback on your writing is invaluable for helping you identify areas where you can improve. You will also learn how to self-edit and polish up your writing skills for the future.
4. How much will it cost you?
This will depend on how much you send me to review.
Send me a book; it’s going to cost you a lot and will take time.
Send me a few short pieces of content; it will cost you much less than you think.
Find your old goat—get that feedback
Having your writing reviewed and edited by an experienced writer, editor, and writing coach is a great way to learn how to avoid certain repetitive errors, identify your writing strengths and weaknesses, and improve your writing style.
Besides the old goat, who else can I ask?
You can also ask your peers, colleagues, family, and friends to provide you with feedback on your writing. To ensure you get honest and useful feedback, be sure to let them know exactly what you want to be critiqued on or provide them with a checklist.
Remember, a reviewer's goal is to help you improve your draft, not to tear you down. It is important for you to keep an open mind and be willing to consider suggestions for improvement. Feedback is an opportunity to learn and grow as a writer.
Happy Writing
Shamila
As a writing mentor and coach, I am on a mission to empower aspiring writers to get their ideas out there.
I have worked with many people, from those who genuinely fear writing and posting on social media to those who simply need to polish their first drafts before publishing.
Check out my services for a full breakdown of how I can help you.
I wonder if there is a way of calculating the return of effective criticism - you'd think if it could be financially quantified then everyone would want it