YOU know you can write well. Why else would you be reading this blog? But how can you improve your skills?
There are very few people in the world who are naturally brilliant writers. Those authors and journalists who are at the peak of their profession have honed and shaped their craft, making it the best they can.
You may not be brilliant now - or ever be brilliant. It doesn't matter. You can become a craftsman who can make money from their craft. You have to write well enough to engage the reader's attention and make him or her want to read on. It's really that simple.
It can be discouraging if you are concerned about grammar and spelling. These have a place in good writing, of course, but they're not the whole story. If you are really concerned about grammar, there are plenty of books that will teach you the basics. I went through school without being taught hardly a thing about grammar so when I decided I wanted to be a journalist, I bought a school text book, started at the beginning and worked my way through. As for spelling, some of the greatest writers in the world have been bad spellers. If you know this is a weak spot for you, always use a spell checker.
Your first articles may not be perfect but if you have included information that's valuable to the reader and presented it in a bright and original way, someone will buy your work.
Good writing, like any craft, is the result of training, practice, and persistence. That can be discouraging, but it should also encourage you: if you persist, if you work, if you try, you will become a better writer, a good writer, able to express your thoughts with elegance and clarity.
Over the long term the best thing you can do to become a better writer is to read a lot and develop your own judgment and skill. Read stories, newspaper and magazine articles, novels, poetry and internet articles.
You'll discover lots of excellent writing and lots of not-so-good writing - and once you have a bit of a critical eye you can learn useful lessons from everything you come across. Above all, just read, read, read. Learn to take pleasure in playing with words. Finally, write for yourself - write to reflect, write to learn, and write to become a wiser and better person.
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