While it's easy enough to practice reading in Spanish, what about the flip side of the coin: how can you practice writing? More importantly, how can you get feedback on what you write? Here are some ideas and resources to help you improve your Spanish writing skills.
First things first
In order to write well, you need to read, a lot. Reading is an excellent way to improve your knowledge of Spanish structure, grammar, and vocabulary, so be sure to make reading a variety of materials part of your regular Spanish practice.
Correct spelling is essential, and in Spanish that means not just using the right letters, but also including the right accents on them. Check out our article about the best way to type accents in Windows and Linux (note that this refers to French examples, but the same rules apply!)
Spanish writing ideas
Our popular Spanish Weekend Workout includes writing challenges and dictations for Premium subscribers - learn more:
For regular Spanish practice, I highly recommend that you keep a journal. If you write a little bit every day, you'll soon find that it gets easier, just like everything you practice regularly. It doesn't really matter what you write, though your level of Spanish will limit you to some extent. But as long as it's something that interests you and that you have or can find the necessary vocabulary and grammar for, you can write whatever you want.
- Your daily routine (wake up, get dressed, go to work, etc.)
- Personal experiences (a party, vacation memories, meeting your best friend...)
- Book / movie reviews
- Letters to the editor
- Essays
Getting feedback
Writing is one thing, but in order for this exercise to have any value, you need to ask for corrections. You can use a grammar checker and/or search engine to get very basic corrections, but if you really want to improve, you need human input.
When you have specific questions about vocabulary and grammar, you can ask on Progress with Lawless Spanish's Q&A forum. For detailed corrections, try posting on an online forum such as Lang-8 to get help from native Spanish speakers. Let them know you'd appreciate an in-depth proofread so that you can improve as much as possible.
Another possibility is to find a pen pal, but make sure s/he's a native Spanish speaker. Two English speakers learning Spanish are very likely to reinforce one another's mistakes; you need a native speaker if you're serious about improving.
Dictations
Dictations combine listening comprehension with writing skills, and are an integral part of the Spanish educational system.
Progress with Lawless Spanish dictations 
- Self-corrected exercises for Premium subscribers
Lingua.com Dictados en Español en línea - a selection of dictations for non-native speakers of all skill levels
Aprenderespanol.org - a small selection of dictations and dialogues for non-native speakers
The four basic language skills
Like speaking, writing requires knowledge of everything from grammar to vocabulary, so be sure to sign up for a Progress with Lawless Spanish account to kwiz your way to better Spanish!
