As writers, we strive to hone our skills and develop our craft. Despite our best efforts, though, we are sometimes dissatisfied with our writing no matter how many works we produce. We purchase books on writing, read books by other writers, and explore numerous ways to enhance our writing and improve our art. 

We read Writer's Digest and The Writer to quench our insatiable thirst for knowledge about how to write better. We purchase Writer's Market to find our niche and sell our work. We are on a mission – to sharpen our skills, recognize our shortfalls, admit our mistakes, exploit our strengths, and correct our weaknesses. Like many writers who are conscientious about their work, we've learned to address our challenges and work mercilessly to overcome them.

Of course, when I say "we," I am including myself. I have always believed I had talent. I went to school armed with the knowledge that I was creative and that my writing would bedazzle my instructors.

I was wrong. I had talent, yes, and I was creative, but I had much to learn. I was frustrated, for instance, by my complete lack of understanding about how to smoothly transition from one paragraph to the next. And I thank Chuck Stolhand, former English instructor and Humanities Chairperson at Kankakee Community College in Illinois, for teaching me how to master the art of transitioning. 

I've learned many other tips and tricks along the way as well. What you see below is my list of the top 21 writing tips I have adopted over the years. I hope they help you as much as they have helped me: 

Writing Tip #1 Sign Up For a College English Course

I am providing my best advice in Tip #1, because knowing about misplaced modifiers, proper grammar, style, spelling, and punctuation benefits YOU. The goal, after all, is to write in a way that is easy to read. Using English properly helps you convey your message succinctly. 

While learning to write within the parameters of a class assignment may feel uncreative, the fact that you have to incorporate your ideas into the guidelines presented by the instructor – within the confines of an assignment – actually requires you to be more creative. No matter how good a writer you think you are before you join the class, you will improve whatever skills you bring with you into the classroom. Lesson #1 – You don't know what you don't know.

Writing Tip #2 Carry a Notebook

A pocket-sized notebook or a note pad that comes with your i-Phone is an absolute necessity. Record everything. Ideas will crop up when you least expect them to appear. Bring a note pad into the bathroom with you. Place the notebook next to your bed at night. If you awaken from an inspiring dream, don't tell yourself that you'll remember it in the morning. You might, but you might not, and you'll thank yourself for recording your ideas when they appear. Lesson #2 – Ideas and dreams are fleeting – record them as soon as possible.

Writing Tip #3 Create a Topic

What interests you? What intrigues you? What mystifies or horrifies you? Write down every conceivable topic or subject that appeals to you. Don't worry about whether or not you know anything about your topic. Researching something that interests you is fun. Lesson #3 – You are probably far more interesting than you ever imagined you were.

Writing Tip #4 Stretch Your Imagination

Once you've come up with a topic, brainstorm with yourself or, if you're just starting out, with a friend. With pencil and paper in hand, write down as many ideas as you can. If one idea links to another idea, record that idea as well. As your mind produces more and more ideas, you may find a pattern emerging. Draw lines from one idea to the other to indicate the pattern. Use each pattern to begin a story or article. Lesson #4 – Imagination is the key to creativity.

Writing Tip #5 Decide if You are Writing Fiction, Nonfiction, or Poetry

Determine what direction your topic is taking. Does it sound as if it would make a good science fiction story or does it sound more like advice (as of October, 2009, "how to" articles account for 934,000,000 listings on Google)? Knowing the type of article or story you are writing sets the tone for the piece. 

Prose and poetry are a more emotional form of writing. Words generally flow from the heart and bleed onto the page. Tip for writing prose or poetry: be vulnerable by opening your heart and mind. Lesson #5 – In finding direction, you may find your niche.

Writing Tip #6 Define Your Purpose

What exactly are you trying to say? Why do you want to write this particular piece? Are you writing about a person, a place, or a thing? What is the time period of the piece? Do you have a specific location in mind? Without paying attention to grammar and spelling (yet), write down the answers to those questions. They will give your story direction. Lesson #6 – Defining your purpose sets you on the right path.

Writing Tip #7 Outline

After you have defined your purpose, utilize the brainstorming sheet and draw an outline that shows the course your story will take. What you create in your outline helps you decide what you need to research. Draw star bursts next to ideas that need to be researched. Sketch a temporary beginning, middle, and end into your outline. Lesson #7 – Outlining charts a course.

Writing Tip #8 Research

Grab your outline. Take note of the star bursts. Gather as much information as you can find (even if it's way more than you need) to conduct your research. Even fiction requires some kind of research to make your story believable. If you found your information online, copy and paste the url. If you found the information at the library, cite your source. 

Use a quality style manual to properly cite your sources and use only legitimate research sources from reliable web sites. 

Remember the old saying to "give credit where credit is due." Plagiarism is against the law – plagiarism is unprofessional. Lesson #8 – Researching makes your article or story more credible.

Writing Tip #9 Do Not Read Other Articles On the Same Topic

While you are researching your subject, you may be tempted to read other articles written on the same topic. However, why sabotage yourself by allowing somebody else's information to influence your writing style? Unless you are using the information for research, refrain from reading them until AFTER you have written your article. Lesson #9 – In order to keep your article or story fresh, don't read similar articles until after you have written yours.

Writing Tip #10 Write for Yourself, Write for Others, or Write for Profit

Does it matter if what you write ever gets read? Of course it does. So if you are considering online writing, keep Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in mind. In order to guide readers to your article, story, or even to your blog, you must use searchable terms. The more related terms you use in your article, the more likely your article will be found. One great source for locating words and phrases specific to your topic is Spacky.com. Just enter your search term and within seconds, related words or phrases appear on the screen. (Spacky asks that you wait for up to three minutes–I've never had to wait that long.) Numbers show how often those words were plugged into search engines within the last month. Unlike many other online keyword search tools, Spacky is free. Lesson #10 – It matters if people read what you've written.

Writing Tip #11 Just Write

Now that you've set the framework for your masterpiece, read your outline, develop your pattern, put your fingers on your keyboard or wrap them around a pen or pencil, and start writing. The beginning is often the hardest place to start, though, so don't waste precious time laboring over the beginning – yet. You know what you want to write, so write whatever comes to mind. Begin in the middle. Begin at the end. Begin wherever it feels most comfortable. A beginning may emerge when your piece starts to gel. You can always write the beginning later. Lesson #11 – Writing with a goal in mind causes the writing to flow smoothly.

Writing Tip #12 Keyword Density

As you write your article, look at the words and phrases you found at Spacky.com. Use those words and phrases that drew the most numbers. Try to keep your keyword density within the 3-5% range. Don't force a 3% density. 1-2% works too. Anything higher than 5% appears to be spam. To check the percentage of times you use a particular word or phrase in your article, try Textalyser, a FREE handy online tool for analyzing keyword density.  Lesson #12 – Choosing the right keywords in the right percentage ranks you higher in search engines.

Writing Tip #13 Creative Writing Tips

Your writing should shine with the polish of a professional. Bland is boring. Spice up your writing with creativity. WARNING – the more adjectives you add, the more unprofessional your writing appears – use verbs instead. For a list of action verbs (through the UK) click this link for examples-help. For another basic list of action verbs, click on one of the links at cvisual.com. Pay no attention to the poorly written front page on that site – the list is helpful and you can combine that list with the previous one. You can also add more verbs to the list.

Your words should sparkle with wisdom, gleam with brightness, and glow with pizzazz. If you've lost your creative touch, read The Creative (Writing) Spirit. It includes exercises to boost your creativity. Lesson #13 – Creativity helps your writing stand out from the rest.

Writing Tip #14 Overcome Writer's Block

Writer's block is a problem for many writers. Getting stuck is frustrating. Not knowing how to move forward is confusing. If you are experiencing writer's block and want to kick-start your brain, read Writer's Block – the Key to Unlocking the Block. Lesson #14 – Unlocking writer's block prevents stagnation.

Writing Tip #15 Pay Attention To Transitions

Once your writing is complete, the next step is to piece together your paragraphs by transitioning one to the other. If your article or story doesn't flow, it will sound choppy. A great resource for finding transitions is located in The Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Lesson #15 – Transitions smoothly link your paragraphs together.

Writing Tip #16 Read Your Writing

Now that you've completed your work, set it aside for a couple of hours and then, with marker in hand, read it to yourself – out loud. If something doesn't make sense or if you are confused by your own sentences, place a dot next to the offending text. Don't worry about revising it at this time. You want to get a feel for the flow of words. When you stop abruptly, your words are not flowing, and if you are having difficulty reading your work, so too will your reader who will quickly lose interest. Fix the writing later, in the next step. For now just mark the places where your reading came to a halt because it didn't sound right. Lesson #16 – Reading what you've written prepares you for what your readers will see.

Writing Tip #17 Tighten Up Your Words

More Chuck Stolhand advice – take out every "there is," "there are," and "it is" you have written. Removing those phrases forces you to create a tighter, cleaner, crisper piece of work and challenges you to write better. Lesson #17 – Tightening your words strengthens your article or story.

Writing Tip #18 Tighten Up Your Paragraphs

Sometimes something that takes three paragraphs to write can easily be chiseled down to just a couple of sentences. Look for redundancy and delete, delete, delete. Don't be tempted to fill a minimum word requirement with flowery adjectives (see Tip#13 above). Lesson #18 – Tight writing is more enjoyable to read than endless repetitive verbiage.

Writing Tip #19 Revise Your Writing

Step 19 may actually consist of more than just one rewrite. As you revise your material, more thoughts may come to mind. More reasons to research might emerge. Incorporate your new information into your piece until you are happy with the results. Then go back and correct your grammar, spelling, and punctuation. If your revision requires more writing, repeat steps 16, 17, and 18 again. Lesson #19 – Revisions improve your finished copy.

Writing Tip #20 Turn It In

At some point, you just have to stop. Maybe you are meeting a deadline, or maybe you've been working on the article for so long, you can't wait to be rid of it. If need be, ask a friend to read it for you. But if you have followed the tips listed here and you've come this far, it's time to release your baby and let it go. Lesson #20 – Letting go of – or releasing – your work can be scary, but it can also provide a sense of relief.

Writing Tip #21 Celebrate

You've worked hard. Congratulate yourself with a reward. Lesson #21 – No lesson. Just enjoy your accomplishment – even if somebody comes to you later and says you misspelled a word. Let it go. Celebrate!