11th Secret of Writing Well

One thing I have found that is really important to writing well is reading a lot. Reading not only helps you to have more to talk about, but it also helps with much more. As I've been in college I have found myself reading books I would have never imagined reading before. I find things interesting as I read and it gives me more to talk to others about, in essence I have become cultured, I guess.
I honestly feel, that the more I have read the more I have payed attention to new words, grammar, and good writing. At The Signpost we do what is called "Good Stuff," as we do this we find good articles, literature, and even podcasts that we can learn from. As I've written different articles I have used skills that I have learned when reading. I also think reading itself isn't all you should do, but it is important to read out loud too that way you find a flow when writing.
Editing is different digitally and on paper. Digitally often times you just get into a flow of typing and it's a fast process but on paper you tend to read carefully and take time to mark things up. A good suggestion I would give is to train your eyes and mind to see words on paper and digitally and that way you are more mindful in what you write.

I have seen many things written out digitally this past week that wasn't edited correctly. My sister is taking an online class, she was reading an assignment and found that there were a few things that were misspelled and a few duplicate words. That was very interesting. You could consider them typos but the first time we went through the text together we didn't catch the mistakes, which leads me to believe that someone skipped over them like we did.

Another example of what I have seen lately is the incorrect usage of subject-verb agreement on messages on Facebook and texts. I believe people write this way because that is the way they speak.

A third example is a survey I took online didn't punctuate the sentence correctly so the question didn't make any sense the first time it was read. I think that happens often as well.

In conclusion, being a better reader makes you a better writer. It doesn't matter what way you read, digitally or on paper, reading helps you notice grammar errors quicker. You get to know the good, the bad, and the ugly.