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Improving Your Writing in 2010

Guest post by Andy Hayes

About this time of year, a lot of people go into reflection mode, wondering what they did right and wrong last year and how they can fix it this year.  Let me be honest: you should be monitoring, measuring, and changing course regularly throughout the year.  But I respect tradition, so if you are still giving new year resolutions some thought, how about these for your list?

Get Some Feedback

Regardless if you’re an old hat writer or a newbie, feedback is essential.  If just the idea alone makes your skin crawl, then you reallyneed to get some feedback.  But asking your mother or brother is not good enough unless you can trust them to be honest with you.  Some ways to get feedback:

• You could just ask your customers.  This might make you (and them) slightly uncomfortable, but do check in with them, as there might be tiny annoyances that you could fix for them but they haven’t mentioned because, well, you didn’t ask.
• You could partner with a peer in your industry and review each other’s work.  Just make sure it’s not someone who you would call a competitor, but someone you trust and someone whose work you like and respect.
• You could pay someone for feedback.  Sometimes it really is best to just have someone give an objective-as-possible, non-judgemental opinion, and those are not always free – especially if you’re looking at product sales pages or lengthy texts.

Read a Book

Get Paid to Write Online is your number one resource for up-to-date insights into writing, of course.  But we’d be silly to tell you it’s the only resource.  So in the new year, why not get a second opinion?  My suggestion is to get away from that laptop, go to your library and get a book.  You know, those dusty things with paper and ink?  Whether it’s a classic from Napoleon Hill or a hard sell marketing book by Dan Kennedy, choose something that feels a bit distant and out of your “zone.”  Not everything will apply, but see what resonates with you that you can take away back to your own work.

Get Organised

Another way to protect yourself and your business is by getting organised.  Consider:

• Are you missing out on new work because you don’t have a proper contact management system to identify clients to follow-up with?
• Are you tracking your time so you know your profitability (or in other words, how much you get paid per hour)?
• Where do you track deliverable dates so you know each day what you’re working on – and more importantly, what is due?
• What about your to do list – is it just a series of scrawls on a whiteboard or notepad somewhere?

I’m not saying you need to go out and spend thousands of dollars on software.  But if you want to grow your business and therefore your profits, you need a stable structure for everything to run on.

Tips and Tweaks

If you’re struggling for tips and tweaks and want some no-nonsense advice, be sure to check out Sharon’s thumbs up for my online writing guide, Write Right Online.  It’s the perfect companion to any new year’s resolutions.

Andy is the Managing Director of Travel Online Partners (TOP), the go to resource for small businesses looking for help with online technology.  Be sure to connect with Andy on Twitter.

You might also enjoy:

• A Freelance Writer’s 2010 Resolutions
• The Get Paid To Write Mega Link Love Fest 2010
• Write Right Online – A Review

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