3-Bad Writing Habits and How to Correct Them

As you develop as a writer, you are likely to pick up some habits along the way. Some of these habits will be useful, such as being able to whip-up a draft rapidly in a positive stream-of-consciousness style, but other writing mistakes may derail your message or even frustrate your future readers.

Leveraging professional proofreading services can account for bad writing habits if they are spotted in the professional proofreading process, but it’s still worth knowing what these habits are. Thus, to help you improve as a writer, this article highlights some of them with solutions.

1. Procrastination – Alternatively, use blocks of time

Procrastination is one of the most well-known habits associated with writing. It is also one of the most pernicious, often leaving you stressed and deflated about how you are progressing.

To solve it, block out periods of time in your calendar that you can dedicate to writing, editing and proofreading, during which you will commit to doing nothing else. If procrastination is a major issue for you, be sure to keep these blocks of time as short as possible as this will help ease you in.

Image: Blocking out time in your calendar can help solve procrastination

2. Run-on sentences – Alternatively, use punctuation well

A run-on sentence – commonly referred to as a fused sentence – occurs when two independent sentences are compressed into one without using proper punctuation (e.g., a semi-colon or a full stop) or a suitable coordinating conjunction. Long sentences are not necessarily run-on sentences, but it is often the case that the most egregious run-on sentences are extremely long and difficult to understand.

To correct this popular writing habit, professional-grade proofreading – which, in fact, you can provide yourself if you are attentive, careful, and have a good grasp of language fundamentals – is a key option. During the proofreading process, try to spot areas that have a natural pause in them. In these areas, introduce suitable punctuation (e.g., a semi-colon or a comma) to chop up the run-on sentence, helping your reader absorb your message better.

Image: If reading the sentence feels like running a marathon, something has to change

3. Overuse of exclamation marks – Alternatively, think about your tone

In text messages and social media messages, exclamation marks are pretty much ubiquitous. However, in your blog writing or any other pieces of writing your produce, overuse of exclamation marks can have a comical effect, which ultimately detracts from the message you are trying to convey.

As an alternative, think first about the attitude or tone you are aiming to convey in your written work. Tone is influenced by factors like punctuation, syntax, and word choice, and if you manage these elements carefully, they can have a much greater effect on your readers than even an infinite number of exclamation marks. 

Image: Overuse of exclamation marks can undermine your tone, even in light-hearted text