One of the keys to writing a good piece is the writer’s ability to affect or provoke the readers’ emotions. Consider, for instance, the choice between writing ‘her eyes brimmed with tears’ or ‘her eyes suddenly moistened’. Which one would you use? Which choice of words would provoke feelings the most?
A good writer has to learn how to be a good wordsmith. The dictionary definition of a wordsmith is simply a skilled user of words, a skilful writer, or a person who works with words. Think of a carpenter in a workshop or a sculptor bent over a mound of clay; both of them have something raw to work on and turn it into an artful end-product that will attract buyers. In the same way a writer has some raw material in the form of ideas, phrases, sentences and researched information to work on and translate into an article, book, magazine, etc. The skilfulness with which this is done contributes to the ‘wordsmithness’ of the writer!
Being a good wordsmith means knowing how to choose the right words and craft them into an unforgettable narration that lingers on the pages of time. It may be a book that people will love to read or a blog where followers keep asking for more content. It could also be a landing page whose words attract many visitors because of the way the content is crafted. Whatever the end-product is, every writer must find a way of becoming the go-to wordsmith whom every kid on the block will be looking for because of their unusual skill.
So, how do you become a good wordsmith?
1. Be an avid reader of whatever content is typical in your field of writing:
For instance, if you write for a magazine then you should read a lot of magazines, and if you write stories then you should make time for reading story books. This should be a lifestyle for you rather than something you do only when faced with a writing project.
2. Practice regularly:
The more writing you do on a regular basis the better you become at it. Practice always makes perfect! No matter how good a writer you have become so far, the regular exercise of this skill helps to keep it in perfect condition just like what physical exercise does to the human body.
3. Become the best rival of Grammarly!
Do you know how many people use Grammarly to assist their writing? It tells you the number of people who are not confident about their ability to produce good grammar on their own, right? One of the keys to being considered a good wordsmith in any field is having excellent grammar in your writing. If you can develop this particular aspect of your writing skill to a level where you don’t need to use a helping tool then you are a great wordsmith!
4. Develop your creativity
Creativity is the key to standing out amongst many other wordsmiths. There are so many good writers to compete with out there that sometimes the only way to be singled out is to show that you have something special or unusual that others don’t. Keep your creativity to a maximum, not minimum.
IN-SCRIPT WRITER 