Want Others to Take You Seriously as a Writer? This is a Must.

So you want to be a writer. You have several blogs and networking sites where you display your work proudly and are in need of some feedback and recognition.

You believe that you have it in you to write some of the best content and you can’t wait to prove to the world, your friends and your fellow writers that you are a writer. If this is you, keep this one rule in mind.

Write great and write great stuff.

If you publish anything online, treat it the same as publishing your most valued masterpiece. Everything you put your name on, make it good.

Yes, I mean your content must be good and interesting, but also your spelling, punctuation and grammar. We live in a day and age where we text a lot of information. Twitter allows you to enter up to 140 characters an update. You have to abbreviate and word your message so that it gets through in as little words as possible. But if you are a writer with a blog, online journal or even an online erotic serial, (like me) you have to write as if you’re trying to prove yourself in each post, because that is exactly what you’re doing. Practice writing great emails too, because sometimes this is the very first impression of who you are and what kind of writer you are to editors and agents.

The only way new readers could get an idea of your writing style is to judge your writing potential through your posts, blogs, and other free, accessible online content. So show them what you’ve got. This is the very reason consumers flip through books at the bookstore. They are judging the quality of your words to see if you have what it takes before they make a commitment to buy. Your online material is the door to your professionalism. Show them you know your stuff or they might place you back on the shelf and move on.

Do not worry if you make mistakes because you will, no ones perfect. The trick is to have less noticeable mistakes than more noticeable ones. It is possible there is a mistake in this very post, but the point is I tried my best to create my best. And you should too. If you want others to take you seriously as a writer, this is a necessity. Readers know when you’re slacking and they know when you’re exerting all of your potential. They appreciate the latter. They applaud hard work. You want to hear that applause.

Imagine what people may assume when reading an excerpt of your work that has several mistakes, and not just the occasional oops, but the basic stuff every writer should know. First, they will probably think you have no idea what you’re doing. In addition, they may think that all of your written work has similar mistakes and will choose to pass. Every time you write something to share with anyone else, make it as perfect as you can. Never publish anything online that is under par. I had to learn this the hard way.

Read over it several times before publishing it. Use spell checker to be on the safe side. Like all of your work, if you want people to take you seriously then you must put some effort into it. Treat it like your baby, like your masterpiece. Your work is precious material and it says a lot about you no matter the topic or content.

Here are some frequent errors I run into while overlooking material:

Misspellings of:

There, their and they’re. Too, two and to. It’s and its. Whose and who’s. Lets and let’s.

Wrong usage of singular and plural:

Breasts is plural, breast is singular. Guests is plural, guest is singular. Leaves is plural, leaf is singular. (I still see poems where leafs fell from the tree.)

Confusing possession:

Peter’s gun. The Smiths’ guns. Jesse and Bella’s books.

Funky punctuation:

Never use multiple exclamation points in your stories or poems, (!!!) It is annoying (and unprofessional) to the reader. Never use too many exclamation marks in a single page or post.

Remember, if you wish to impress someone with your writing, you must write extraordinarily. How many times have you been impressed by something you knew you could do too . . . or better?

Leslie Lee Sanders