I collect in this post some recommendations to improve your writing in English.
Reading recommendations
Books
On Writing Well by William Zinsser
(Amazon | Goodreads) Recommended by Tim Ferriss and Matt Mullenweg as the one book to read on the topic. I have read it but was a bit disappointed. More about any fiction writing than a guide for daily writing e.g. at work.
Writing that works
(Amazon | Goodreads) Good read. I have rated it 4 stars out of 5. Practical guide: How to communicate effectively in business.
Others (blog posts)
The Day You Became A Better Writer
by Scott Adams (Dilbert's father) (Recommended by Naval: Even though I am a very good writer and I’ve been writing a lot since I was young, I still open up that blog post and put it in the background anytime I’m writing anything important. It’s that good. I use it as my basic template for how to write well. Think about the title, “The Day You Became a Better Writer.” It’s such a powerful title. He teaches you in one small blog post the importance of surprise, the importance of headlines, the importance of being brief and directed, not using some adjectives and adverbs, using active not the passive voice, etc. This one blog post right there will change your writing style forever if you put your ego down and absorb it properly. [6] )
The Day You Became a Better Writer (2nd Look) by Scott Adams
Key Principles
KISS: Keep It Short and Simple
This is to my opinion the most important writing principle. Use short sentences. Remove what is not necessary/ redundant. Use simple words, direct sentences. (see next principle: avoid passive voice)
Avoid passive voice
It is much more direct and personal to write with active sentences i.e avoid the usage of passive voice.
Avoid common mistakes
You can find a list of common mistakes e.g. in this book or this article.
Its vs. it's is one I see frequently. i.e. vs. e.g.
Subject + verb
This is a common one specially for German-natives. In English the verb comes right after the subject. (In German it might come after the verb)
Structure / Storyline
I recommend to check the structure of your writing: if the structure is clear, it makes it easier to read.
For this I like to start with the outline (use sub/headings) and make use of Table of contents based on the headings.
Check
Use the tools mentioned below to check your writing and correct it.
Never publish something without doing a spellcheck - out of your readers' consideration.
Practice
As for any skill, practice, practice and practice to become better and keep up correcting/ improving your writing.
I recommend also to read in English. (I don't read books translated from English.)
Tools to Check Spelling and Grammar/ Style
Microsoft Office
All MS Office applications offer a built-in spelling and grammar check. You shall make use of it, especially for released official documents.
For PowerPoint presentations you can use this free VBA macro/Add-in to quickly change the language of the whole presentation.
For OneNote, to change the language of all objects in a notebook, I recommend using Onetastic Add-In
Grammarly
I highly recommend using Grammarly.
I use the free version and the Chrome extension.
See below an example of its magic:
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