10 Writing Tips for Those Who Hate to Write

I used to think that, on some level, everyone liked to write. Oh, how wrong I was. It may be because when we would get a writing assignment in school, the groans of the kids around me were muffled by my own internal excitement. It could also be because I surround myself with the writing community who all share my enthusiasm for the craft.

But in my interactions with people outside of this bubble, I’ve learned that writing does not encompass everybody else’s life. In fact, it’s something that people tend to avoid at all costs. Even writing out an envelope can be a chore for them. So, when they are tasked with the rare writing assignment, they can’t even deal with it.

Writing is hard, whether you’re good at it or not. So, if you don’t love to do it, it’s going to be pretty painful. Below are some tips to help you make it feel less painful, or at least manageable. Here are 10 writing tips for those who hate to write.

Make yourself comfortable

Specific types of writing are going to dictate what tools you use in order to write. If you’re taking a test online, you have to use a computer. But if you have the choice, use the tool with which you’re most comfortable. If you can’t type very well, don’t sit in front of a computer. If your handwriting is so bad that even you can’t read it, don’t start with a pen and paper. Make things easy on yourself.

Take notes if you need to. Talk out what you want to say with someone else before you start trying to form a piece of writing. Make sure that what you’re saying makes sense, that you’re including everything you want to include, and that the general idea is in place first. This is going to give you a solid foundation before you begin the actual writing process and keep you from sitting in front of a blank screen or piece of paper for hours not knowing how to start.

You don’t have to start at the beginning

Beginnings are tough, and they can keep you from making any progress while waiting for that perfect first sentence. Instead, start with the first thing you want to say.

If you’re writing a report or manual for work, just dive right into the meat of the topic.

If you have to write a tribute to someone, jot down your main thoughts, and then fill in the blanks or details.

If you’re writing a wedding toast, think of a funny or interesting story about the couple and your personal relationship with them.

You don’t need to worry about organizing or fixing anything until you edit. So, let that first draft be messy and unorganized. You can mold it into something more presentable later. Just get past that first hurdle of beginning, even if the beginning is the last thing you write.

Edit for clarity

Bad writing is typically unclear writing. The writer is all over the place and doesn’t fill in the blanks for their readers. As I said before, create that messy first draft. And then edit as if you are the reader, not the writer. Think about what information you need to add in order for a sentence or a direction to make sense. Put things into context. Spell out the obvious.

This is particularly true in workplace writing. Make sure your technical jargon is explained. Write out and define acronyms when you first use them. Then, you can start to abbreviate or use them more casually throughout the piece.

Have someone else read what you wrote so that they can point out unclear words or phrases. Use a thesaurus or dictionary to help you find the words that best help you to explain what you want to say. That is one of the most challenging parts of writing, but it’s also what makes writing such a crucial form of communication. We’ve all gotten stuck trying to read unclear instructions or confusing stories. Make sure your writing doesn’t mirror these frustrating pieces.

Finally, watch your pronouns. If you’re talking about several people, be sure that your reader always knows who you are talking about. If you’re talking about two men, don’t use the word “he” unless it’s clear to which “he” you are referring. The same goes for objects. Avoid words like “it” or “thing.” Say what you mean.

Follow the writing rules

We have easier access to writing tools at our disposal than ever before, but people’s writing mechanics are worse than ever. And word processing tools aren’t going to catch everything. They aren’t going to tell you if you should use your vs. you’re or its vs. it’s.

Sadly, even professional writers make these mistakes, and their work is published without a thorough edit. Maybe the average reader won’t even know the difference. But it’s still something that you should try to avoid at all costs.

Look up where you should use punctuation, particularly:

• commas – you can’t just put them anywhere and they are required in certain places
• quotation marks – particularly where punctuation goes within a quote
• apostrophes – look up where that apostrophe goes and when

Also look out for:

• commonly mispronounced phrases – example: it’s “for all intents and purposes,” not “for all intensive purposes.” Even if you think you know the correct saying, double check yourself.
• the correct spellings of certain words – including words that spell check misses because you forgot the “e” on robe, but it thought you meant “rob.”

You can easily Google search any rule in the written world. So, take the time to do so. You don’t have to know all of the rules. You don’t even have to retain the rules you do learn. Nobody does. But you can avoid breaking the rules with a few seconds of research.

Mix up your sentence structures

When people are intimidated by writing, they tend to write in simple sentences and utilize the same sentence styles. This can create some very boring and juvenile writing. So, here are some tips to avoid that:

• Don’t start more than two sentences in a row with the same word. Otherwise, it will sound like a third grade essay. For example: “He went to school with me. He was my best friend. He lived next door.” The monotony gets really old really fast.
• Add some introductory words.
  • If you’re talking about a series of events, you can start with, “First,” followed by, “Then,” “Later,” “Next,” and end with, “Finally.” Each word gears you up for the next sequence of events.
• Add some introductory phrases. Aside from not starting every sentence with the same word, don’t start every sentence the same way. Depending on the type of piece you are writing, get creative or at least mix it up.
  • Example: “Before he began, he pulled out the piano stool. He sat down and cleared his throat. Carefully, he turned to the first page of his songbook.”
  • The beginning of each sentence has a different rhythm and pacing, mixing it up and making it more interesting and engaging for the reader rather than, “He pulled out the piano stool. He cleared his throat. He turned to the first page of his songbook.”

Stay on topic

Going back to the idea of organizing your thoughts in the editing process, make sure you also stay focused on what you’re saying. I have the tendency to squeeze as many details into a paragraph as possible. This can send me on a tangent unrelated to what I was originally saying. In my hours and hours of writing practice, I’ve learned to identify these off topic sentences while editing and either move these unrelated thoughts out of that section or delete them all together.

Be sure to keep all of your same ideas together. It can be tempting to go all over the place once you’re on a roll. And again, that’s fine in a first draft, but make sure to reorganize and cut when you need to.

If you’re writing something more creative, going on a tangent or an unrelated aside can detract from the story you’re trying to tell. If the reader is asking about the point of the detail, it doesn’t need to be in there.

Don’t overexplain  

Related to staying focused, overexplaining is another issue to avoid. Whether you’re giving directions or merely stating the obvious, figure out what details need to be in there, and omit the rest. Again, know your audience and their attention spans. If this is something they’re skimming through in order to find one little bit of information, don’t give them a ton of unnecessary sentences to wade through.

A relevant example of this is how food bloggers will tell their life story before they will post the recipe that they are promoting. The purpose of this is to get their word count up on their post so that it will rank better in Google searches and draw in a larger audience. But I know that it’s annoying to the casual reader.

Again, think of yourself as the reader, and put in only what’s necessary. If a lengthy backstory can be condensed down to one or two sentences or omitted completely, do it. Being a reluctant writer, the problem may not be with having too much content as much as not enough. But it’s still something to watch out for, especially if you unexpectedly start to enjoy the writing process and are writing way more than you originally intended.

Watch your passive voice

One of the biggest rules in the writing world is to avoid passive voice. The problem with passive voice is that it weakens the image that you’re trying to put in your reader’s mind. However, it’s tempting to use because it’s more flowery and feels more like good writing. But it doesn’t pack as much of a punch.

For example, saying, “I saw him walking through the door, yelling angrily.”

The image is clear, but it’s not very impactful. A more effective image would be, “The front door slammed open, and he stomped through, roaring about his horrible day.”

Again, this is a more prevalent error to correct in the creative writing world. But keep that in mind while you’re editing for clarity, no matter what the style of writing. Get to the point, and use strong, concrete sentences.

Let your personality shine through

We all have a different “writing style.” We gravitate towards certain words, phrases, and styles. Your voice is a crucial part of your writing, even technical writing. If you’re writing something more formal, the words and tone that you use can make a piece sound more authoritative or more relaxed and casual.

If you’re a warm and approachable person, make sure your writing reflects that. If what you’re writing is crucial, especially life or death crucial, let that authoritative side of you come through to drive home the importance of following your directions and instructions.

Again, talk it out verbally in your own voice before transferring your thoughts through the filter of your writer’s voice. If you’re trying to inject a specific tone, whether it be a dry sense of humor or a genuine earnestness, make sure that your style translates to the written word. Your writing does not have the advantage that speaking does. So, your tone can get lost in translation.

If you’re writing a speech, make sure that when you read it, it sounds like you and not like a book report. Know your audience and whether you need to dial back on any topic or tone or whether you need to punch it up for laughs or to break the serious tension in a somber or stuffy situation. Use all of your verbal tricks to create a written guideline to be read aloud or interpreted in the way you intended in the reader’s head.

Don’t be hard on yourself

People tend to get defensive when displaying something for the first time. They will downplay or even belittle their own work in order to keep others from doing it first. You’ll often hear a forewarning of, “I’m not a writer so go easy on me…” introduction to someone’s writing.

Whether they believe this or not, it seems to vary. Some will honestly believe they did a good job and use a demeaning introduction to fish for compliments. Others are truly worried about the reaction to their finished piece.

In most cases, what you were forced to write is not being considered for a Nobel Prize. A bad speech or a terrible set of instructions or statement is not life or death. There’s no grade or vote. So, just do your best and be unapologetic about the end result.

If someone agrees to read your work and offer feedback, take it as constructive criticism rather than a personal attack. Don’t be embarrassed by the errors, and take their ideas into consideration, even if you choose not to correct them, particularly the stylistic or content suggestions.

If you find a typo after the fact, so what? We all do. If someone asks you to clarify something, learn from it, correct it if you can, and move on. It’s what all of us writers have done in order to perfect our craft.

Writing is such an imperfect and often subjective skill that you don’t even have to have done a great job in order to have done a good job. And if you find that you actually like to write after being forced to write, well then, welcome to the club, and keep practicing!

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