Blogging advice to a non-native speaker
Hi folks,
I'm a non-native speaker and recently I made my first blog post. The feedback I received was mostly about the text styling, copy-editing, and text clarity.
Going through the article it's clear that text doesn't look "fluent". It's hard for me to comprehend correct writing practices and style. Does it only come with experience or there are some actionable steps I can do to improve my writing skills?
I'm wondering Is there any advice community can share? Some guidelines you guys follow when you write? Any tools that help you editing your writing?
In case you curious, the article is here.
Hey, very interesting blog! Information wise, it is a lot different from what I usually read.
Regarding making the text fluent: it would come with the experience by writing more. But also by reading more in English since it would allow you to develope a sense of what kinds of words are preferred and how they normally are used.
Regarding tools:
o For making my writing more concise and easy to read, I use Grammarly: https://app.grammarly.com/?network=g&utm_source=google&matchtype=e&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsvTz7rb26AIVmLt3Ch1ZVQHsEAAYASAAEgLmBPD_BwE&placement=&q=brand&utm_content=329885936579&utm_campaign=brand_f1&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=grammarly
(It gives suggestions for ways to rephrase to improve the readability of the text: make it easier to read, it also checks for grammar and spelling mistakes, so it's quite useful)
o I have also tested "WordRake" that tells you what words you could remove to make your text shorter, clearer and easier to read.
It may also help to make a mindmap or structure what you want to say in each section. You had a lot of good information, but I sometimes struggled with seeing the connections.
Finally, I just wanted to point out some things you are doing well to make you writing easier to read: You used headings well (it helps divide up the text and make it more structured, and easier to find information); I also liked that you varied the text with different fonts, the choice of having some parts be bulleted lists, and bolding certain sections (it really helped me to focus when reading).
Aight, hope this helps and wish you all the best with your future writing :)
Hi, thank you for the feedback!
I guess that's the most reasonable trajectory to improve my writing skills. I'm also trying to develop a habit taking notes of good English idioms\constructions to use them in the future.
It's a great suggestion, will definitely do this next time.
BTW, I'm already using Grammarly, it helps a lot, indeed.
Thank you for the compliment as well, I think this kind of writing makes the article alive and adds some colors.
Glad to be able to help :)
Seems like you have most of it covered already.
All the best for your future posts!
Hi @rxn1d - I have worked with lots of non-native speakers, and I understand how difficult it can be to write in a way that looks "fluent." My new product, SplashPad, may help you.
As you write, SplashPad intelligently suggests language that helps you grab attention and sell your ideas. The initial focus is marketing emails, but it just as easily applies to blogs. Let me know what you think: https://www.getsplashpad.com/.