A new year means a new perspective, a new attitude, and new techniques. So, in honor of 1/1, we’ve asked the best writers, editors, and readers for their N0. 1 writing tips. Put them to good use.

1. My number one writing tip comes from humor columnist Dave Barry: Proofread carefully to see if you any words out. I would like to add that whether it’s an e-mail, blog post, or Facebook status update, everything you put out there for people to read becomes a part of your writing résumé. — Blue Pencil Editing
2. Have confidence. A good writer can write about anything, so long as he (or she) believes he can. The only real limitations holding you back are the ones in your own mind. You can’t be an expert in every subject, of course, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn enough to write authoritatively on anything. And just think about how much better that would make your writing when it’s a topic you really know about. The only thing to fear is your own insecurity. — @__Deb at Punctuality Rules
3. Write every day. Doesn’t have to be fancy, doesn’t have to be good, doesn’t have to be long.  Find fifteen minutes and write something, anything, every day.  Your writing will improve dramatically and you’ll make consistent forward progress on any ongoing projects. — @wordstrumpet at Word Strumpet
4. A tip I find useful is when you’re proofreading what you’ve written, read it out loud to yourself slowly in a sort of monotone. That way, your brain can’t skip over things, and you’ll find more errors. — Bonnie at The Sentence Sleuth
5. The semicolon is a truly awesome piece of punctuation that helps make your writing flow more smoothly. Use it to join two independent clauses (this often helps to eliminate choppiness in writing).  Unfortunately, people often misuse semicolons, using them in places they shouldn’t be in an effort to make themselves look smarter.  Always read over your sentence and make sure that on each side of the semicolon is a clause that could function on its own as a sentence.  If you act pretentious and screw up using a semicolon because you think it’s interchangeable with a comma, that whole “looking smart” idea gets shot to hell! — The Grammarphile at Red Pen, Inc
6. Use wordcount to keep on track. Lay out the bones of your piece with main headings and sub-headings. Create a spreadsheet with the projected wordcount for each part. As soon as you hit the projected number of words, move on to the next section. This trick helps to get a first draft onto the paper quickly and efficiently. — Mary at Write to Done
7. Don’t be afraid of that. Those who make a fetish of deleting the word risk sending the reader down the wrong path. He declared his love for her [How sweet!] … had died. They believe Bush [Oh -- somebody still does!] … should be impeached. In each case, those four little letters would have saved the readers some backtracking. — @theslot at Blogslot
8. Tell stories whenever you can, even if you’re writing non-fiction or giving advice. Share your experiences, offer your opinions, and don’t be afraid to flaunt your personality.  People can get facts anywhere—they’ll remember and return to your work because they connected with *you*. — @Lindsay_B at Writing for Your Wealth
9. Avoid using long words and complicated sentences. Simpler sentences and words can often communicate your meaning just as well, if not better. — Mighty Red Pen
10. When you are struggling over how to craft a message, forget about what you have to say. Instead, write what the reader needs to know. A successful message focuses on the reader.  — Lynn at Business Writing Blog
11. Pay attention to punctuation, especially to the correct use of commas and periods. These two punctuation marks regulate the flow of your thoughts, and they can make your text confusing even if the words are clear. — Daniel at Daily Writing Tips
    
12. The idea of a “split infinitive” dates back to when intellectuals took Latin grammar rules and applied them to English. But Latin verbs are made of one word, and English verbs are made of two. So Caesar couldn’t split infinitives, but Shakespeare could. To split or not to split, that is the question. But should you do it? Yes, if it sounds right. Besides, as many others have noted, where would we be without the phrase, “To boldly go where no man has gone before”? — Dan at Word Wise
13. Just say it. Don’t get cute. Don’t get clever. Don’t beat around the bush. Just say what you’re trying to say. — @Bergus
14. My writing tip: seat time. As in “Put your seat in the chair and stay there!” I say this only because I apparently need it! —@raimalarter
15. Put the strongest, most emphatic or most important words in your sentences at the end. — @kennorkin
16. Cut out word clutter. Words like “that, so, very, much.” Look at your sentence closely — how many times do you use these words in your sentences? If it’s not adding to the sentence, leave it out. — Karen Reddick, the Red Pen Editor
    
17. Know your audience. Writing to the wrong person is like bringing a knife to a gunfight. Also, don’t bring knives to gunfights. — @prowritingtips
18. Think of all writing as collaboration. Get feedback early and often from readers, reviewers, and good writers. See my blog post on this topic. http://writingmatters.typepad.com/blog/2009/01/using-reviewers-editors-and-cold-readers-as-writing-collaborators.html — Marilynne at E-Write.
    

Update: @__deb has tipped me off to even more creative writing tips from around the blogosphere. Go check them out now!

Got a writing tip you’d like to add? Leave a comment and we’ll put it in for posterity.

This article was written by John Roach http://prowritingtips.com John is a writer and copy editor. You can follow him on twitter at @johnwroachiii. To see more posts click here

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