5 simple tips to instantly improve your writing

Here is a short list of easy to remember tips for strengthening your prose.

1) Be careful with adverbs.
Adverbs lead to weak writing. For example, in the sentence, "he ran quickly to the library," the adverb is redundent because ran impiles speed. It does nothing for the sentence except make it longer and weaker. Far better to use a different word to show emphasis. As writers of English, we are spoiled for choice when it comes to word selection. If you want to emphasise the actual speed of running, use 'jogged' or 'trotted' if it is a slow run, and 'dashed' or 'sprinted' to show that it was fast.
A strong, specific verb will beat a generic verb+adverb pair any day.

That's not to say you can never use adverbs. The secret is to use them to negate the meaning of verbs, to create a juxtaposition. For example, "love passionately" is weak, but "love fiercely" gives a strong, vivid image. Adverbs can be useful, but remember to use them wisely and sparingly.

2) Make your characters 'say' things.
There is nothing wrong with the word 'said'. It tells you who is speaking and is almost invisible on the page. Other words, such as 'spluttered', 'gasped', 'spat', 'hissed', 'cooed', 'whispered', 'shouted', 'ejaculated', 'opinied', can be used to paint a picture of the action and give a good insight into the emotions of the speaker. However, too many of them will disrupt the flow and become noticable on the page, especially the more esoteric of them. Words like 'whispered' or 'screamed' shouldn't be used more than once per several pages, and words like 'ejaculated' probably shouldn't be used at all. Remember to use 'said' synonyms only when it adds extra information, much like the previous point about adverbs.
Also, feel free to eliminate the attribution entirely when it's clear who's speaking.

3) Show don't tell
This is a very common piece of advice for prose writing, for good reason. Good writing draws people into the world, it connects them with the here and now, even if it is written in past tense. When you are 'telling' you are explicitly giving people important information about the state of the world, rather than allowing their imagination to work for the details. When you 'show' things, you are giving minor information about the world, painting the details and allowing the reader to fill in the gaps to see the big picture for themselves.
For example, "Bob was angry and he hated Jane." Okay, so there is a guy and he is angry with a woman. So what? I know what all those words mean and I can parse the sentence, but it doesn't connect me to Bob, and it certainly doesn't make me feel his anger.
"Bob's shoulders rose and his fists clenched into tight red balls. He glared at Jane with wet, bloodshot eyes. 'Get out!' he screamed."

4) Prefer the active voice
Consider these two sentences: "Sarah ate the apple," and, "the apple was eaten by Sarah." Active and passive. In fiction, you should almost always prefer the active voice. It provides agency and allows the reader to connect. The passive voice leads to weak writing, and will keep the reader at arm's length.
There are times, however, when you might want the reader to remain distant. Sometimes, it is desirable to show the action from the viewpoint of the victim. For example, a violent scene written in passive voice, witnessed by a sociopath or experienced by a machochist might be far more cold and chilling than if it were written from the viewpoint of the perpertrator.

5) Reduce your 'ing's
Verbs with 'ing' at the end are usually weak. They rely on the verb 'to be' to carry the weight. Too many 'ing's in a paragraph sound like a telephone: ring, ring, ring!
'He ran into the bedroom', is a lot more stronger than 'he was running towards the bedroom'. Remember, I want to know what your characters do, or did, not what they are, or were, doing.
However, gerunds are okay. That's where 'ing' allows a verb to act a noun. 'He liked cooking.'


So there you have it. Five simple tips to immediately help your writing become stronger.
Please note, however, that the items on this list are simply guidelines. They are tools in a writer's toolbox. You are free to ignore these pieces of advice whenever you wish. It all depends on the effect you are trying to achieve with your writing. But, like everything else, you should always know the rules before you go breaking them.
Otherwise you're just an amateur.