Ragan’s PR Daily recently published an article by Daphne Gray-Grant who is a writing and editing coach and author of 8½ Steps to Writing Faster, Better. I thought the article titled, “Seven Habits of Highly Effective Writers” was a gem, and completely spot on.

It’s no secret that as a PR professional, exceptional writing skills are a must-have. And by exceptional, I don’t mean that you simply must ensure your writing is clear and clean of grammatical errors and typos. You also have to be creative, efficient and adept at tailoring your message to the appropriate audience.

In Gray-Grant’s 30 years of experience in coaching others to become highly effective writers, she’s found seven traits most commonly found in effective writers. I’ve sprinkled her traits with my own tips that I’ve found incredibly helpful in strengthening my writing.

1.       Separate the writing and the editing processes. When you’re writing, just write. As your thoughts and ideas come, jot them down. Don’t worry too much about clarity of thought, the initial quality, flow, etc. Gray-Grant cites writer Cecil Castellucci, who says, “The best flowers are fertilized by crap,” so give yourself permission to write a crummy first draft.

 The editing process is your opportunity to reorganize, obsess over word choice and ensure you’re clearly communicating. So, write first, edit later.

 2.       Focus on the interesting. Effective writers tell a compelling story. Whether you’re an effective writer or an effective speaker, you know it’s important to capture your audience. One of the best ways to do this is by using real-life examples or anecdotes to communicate a theoretical or extremely technical topic. Who doesn’t love a good story?

3.       Tap into the power of metaphor. Gray-Grant cites metaphor expert Anne Miller who says, “Metaphors lead to instant understanding.” Enough said.

4.       Do adequate research. Research is the foundation of a lot of things, especially writing. How will you know what to say if you’re not sure what you’re talking about? Gray-Grant notes that effective writers understand that good research is all about asking interesting questions—of themselves, of the books, websites and reports they read as well as anyone they interview.  The answers to your questions will provide the fodder needed for writing.

5.       Learn from the writing of others. As an effective writer, you understand that you’re also a life-long learner. It’s important to continue refining and fine tuning your craft. There’s always more to learn when it comes to writing. One of the most powerful ways to do this is to actively read, read more and read again. The key word here is actively read. Analyze writing techniques, dissect sentence structures, continue to learn all you can about the art and craft of writing.

6.       Write in small bursts. This is a valuable tip for me. In my day-to-day, it’s often difficult to find time to sit and focus on writing for more than an hour at a time without being interrupted by immediate client needs, meetings, or the need to check incoming emails and voicemail. I’ve learned that I’m most effective when I have bursts of inspiration that I quickly put on paper and then come back to at a later time. Before I know it, I have the most critical content needed to build my story and merely need to connect my thoughts and edit my work. Although it may seem a bit piecemealed and frazzled at first, exceptional writing is often done a little at a time.

7.       Read your work out loud. I know this trait sounds like it’s taking you back to elementary school when your teacher called on you to read aloud. However, as Gray-Grant says, language isn’t just meaning—it’s also music. Whenever I read my work out loud, I almost always come up with a different approach to communicating my point in a way that flows better.  Sure, some of my coworkers may think I’m nuts for whispering to myself, but in the end, it leads me to my best work.

Are you an effective writer? What tips and tricks do you have?