b) While writing

- Keep your rough draft in mind 

-While writing, mentally dictate adjectives, adverbs and most importantly comparisons, which can add a lot of color to a text. Compare the difference:

Es un problema ........ que ........... es un grave problema de difícil solución

Un atleta que corre mucho .... que .... un veloz atleta que corre como el viento

(It is a problem…/…..it is a critical problem with no easy solutions)

(An athlete that runs a lot…./… -a quick athlete that runs like the wind)

- Double negatives can also add color. Compare the difference:

me fui pero antes protesté ... que ... me fui no sin antes protestar agriamente

(I left, but I protested before…/…I left but not before bitterly protesting

- If it’s a very formal text, use impersonal structures, the passive voice and nouns. Compare the difference:

una persona muy inteligente .... una persona de enorme inteligencia

(an inteligente person…/…a person of enormous inteligence)

c) After writing

- Now that you’ve written your text, relax and think about your common mistakes. Proofread the text, looking for mistakes. Forget about the meaning of what you’ve written, just look for words. If it helps, proofread from the end to the beginning. Pay special attention to:

Masculine/ femenine

Singular/ plural

La gente, el problema, (un) otro

Irregular verbs, the past…, in the subjunctive  

Pronouns

Spelling, (double consonants, when to use h,b,v,g,j)

Punctuation marks

Accents

Don’t repeat the same words (use sinonyms, hypernyms ...)