7 Professional Writing Tips

You may already know this, or perhaps you are just starting to suspect it: Musicians do A LOT of writing in their careers.  Think resumes, cover letters, grant applications, project proposals, news releases, bios, program notes, website content, blog posts…and the list goes on! So, it stands to reason that we should put some serious thought and effort into our writing to make it the best it can be.

A caveat: there are certainly different styles of writing; you may write a bit differently when writing a blog post versus a grant application. But I think these tips apply to all of our professional writing.  These ideas are not original, but rather they are useful tips that I have gleaned over the years from paying attention to other people, their writing, and their advice.

1. Simplify – use fewer words. (Enough said!)
2. Minimize use of fluffy adjectives that don’t add value to your sentence. See #1.
3. Aim for CLARITY, not impressive sounding language.
4. Achieve flow by varying your sentence lengths.
5. Avoid repetition and re-phrasing of the same material.
6. Use appropriate punctuation and capitalization – do not write in “text” speak.
7. Double check for errors. ALWAYS read through everything you write and edit before finalizing.

Happy writing!