Remember in elementary school when your teacher pulled out the math flash cards? Multiple times a week you had to practice the fundamentals of math: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Without these basics, trigonometry, geometry, and calculus would be impossible.

The same holds true for writing. If you want to write a book, all you need is an idea. If you want to advance and write a good book (or article), you need to first master the basics. In my opinion, these are five of the most important basics principles to understand:

1. Punctuation: Commas and semicolons are not interchangeable. Substituting one for the other changes the meaning of a sentence. Make sure you know what you want to say and how to punctuate it.

2. Passive Verses ActiveThe wall was hit by the car, or The car hit the wall. In the first sentence, the subject does nothing; it sits and waits for life to affect it. In the second sentence, the subject is doing something! It’s not waiting to react to a situation, it’s making things happen! Active writing (such as the second example) provides a more interesting read.

3. Beginning/Middle/End: Basic, but make sure you include all of these. Don’t just jump into a story without some type of introduction. Don’t end the story without some type of closure.

4. Know the story. I often take 2-3 pages of single-spaced interview notes before writing a 500-word article. I don’t include every detail in the story. The trick (in both fiction and non) is to sift through the information to find the heart of the story. Remember – just because you have the information doesn’t mean it needs to be shared.

5. Do your research. No one should ever submit a college research paper based on what he or she thinks is truth – you do your research and find proof to support your thesis. The same is true for any article or story. Get the facts. Know what a policeman, accountant, and fast food employee really do, don’t just assume that you know.

There are dozens of other tips and exercises that will make your article or novel stand out – outline your draft, use deep POV, show, don’t tell – but none of these will help if you don’t first master the basics. Make yourself some flash cards and start studying!