Whether you're writing an email, a blog post, or a report on a technical subject, some simple changes can make what you write more appealing to readers, even if you've never taken a writing course

you want to be concise and get to the point very quickly."

clichés are--by definition--very familiar, which means they're liable to bore your reader, and you risk losing their attention.

get noticed with your writing," Erasmus says. "So you want to get rid of 'filler' words like 'it will be,' 'there will be,' 'it was,' 'it wasn't,' 'there are,' and so on. That will create tighter sentences, which helps keep people's attention

Use the last word of a sentence to draw the reader into the next sentence.

The mark of an amateur is someone who writes very broadly and doesn't use specifics,"

instead of writing "This is a beautiful and evocative painting," try saying exactly why you see it that way. "With glistening sand and an endless turquoise ocean, this painting evokes a summer day at the beach."

uses visual description to engage the reader, but remember that they have other senses as well. "Research has shown that if you use sensory language, which is touching, tasting, smelling, feeling, it paints a picture for the reader and gets them involved,

oo often, people use qualifiers that make what they are writing seem less definite, Erasmus says. "Don't vacillate. Don't say 'I think' or 'it could possibly be.' Especially if you are trying to be a thought leader and build a platform.

You have your own unique speaking voice, not only in its sound quality, but in the choice of words and phrases that you use. It's a great idea to have your own unique voice come out in your writing as well,

When appropriate, it's always great to end a piece by bringing the reader back to where they began, what Erasmus calls "circling back.