5 Steps to Brilliant German Writing: Essential Hacks & Tips

Ever find yourself stuck in the writing maze, where every German sentence feels like a linguistic puzzle gone wrong?

You pour your thoughts onto paper, but instead of eloquence, it’s a parade of errors. Frustration kicks in as each attempt feels like a linguistic treadmill—lots of effort, but no forward momentum.

Fear not!

Today, I’m sharing my personal 5-step process that will not only transform your writing, but also supercharge your learning.

Get ready to unleash your creativity, embrace the power of technology and even team up with an AI language wizard to take your German writing to the next level.

Let’s dive into the secrets of becoming a German writing master!

Step 1: Brain Dump

Start by just sitting with a pencil and paper and writing as much as you can about whatever topic you chose for the day.

Write for 15 minutes non-stop.

Don’t worry about grammar and if you got every detail right.

The point is to try to get as much on the paper as possible in the 15 minutes you have given yourself. 

Spelling, punctuation, grammar, all of the little things your German teacher complains about, none of it matters for this step. Just write.

Start writing and don’t stop writing until the timer is up.

When you are done, your hand should hurt from writing so much and so fast.

Step 2: Transfer Your Brain Dump to a Word Processor

Type what you wrote into Microsoft Word or Google Docs or whatever you use to write things in German on a computer. Both Microsoft Word and Google Docs have the ability to spell check and grammar check in German. 

While you are typing, make a note of anything the program changes about your writing.

Did it autocorrect something for you? Did it underline it in blue or red? What changed and why? What does this tell you about the things you wrote? 

Step 3: Ask ChatGPT for Corrections

Once you have corrected any mistakes that your word processor caught, it is time to copy and paste our text into our old friend ChatGPT.

Add the following text to the top of the prompt: 

You are my German professor. The following text is an essay I submitted to your class. Read it and give feedback about it. Correct any grammar mistakes and tell me not only what was wrong, but why it was wrong and what the grammatical topic is called, so I can research it in more depth and correct these mistakes in the future.

If you want it to give this feedback in English, you might want to add a line about that to the prompt. 

Step 4: Correct Your Mistakes (Manually)

Make notes to yourself to research and study the topics that were common mistakes you made.

If you have a teacher that you can ask, ask them to help you better understand the topics that are giving you trouble. 

You can also ask ChatGPT to list some topics that you should research in more depth to avoid these errors in the future.

Step 5: Back to ChatGPT

Copy your newly created, corrected version of your writing into ChatGPT again.

This time add the following prompt to the top: 

You are my copy editor. I need you to take this rough draft and punch it up a bit. It needs to sound professional, but also upbeat. Keep the general language level the same, but make the essay more interesting and entertaining. Please explain any changes you make. 

If you told it to write the response from earlier in English, you might have to remind ChatGPT that you wanted your essay to stay in German. Sometimes leaving out little details like this can confuse it.

I like to think of ChatGPT as a hyper-intelligent 10 year old with ADHD. It can answer most of your questions, but you have to be super specific and make sure it is actually paying attention when you say stuff. You also have to repeat yourself a lot.

One Last Proofread

Now, take a look at your upgraded German essay – it’s got your style but with a touch of AI magic.

When you dive into your next German writing session, remember the ChatGPT tips to keep things smooth and sharp.

If you’re teaching yourself and relying on online tools, here’s a game plan:
do this writing exercise two or three times a week.

You’ll be surprised how quickly your German writing game levels up.

And hey, if you’re into improving your German reading skills, click right here. I’m sharing three common blunders German learners face when diving into reading.

Missing this lesson might mean making those mistakes yourself. Check it out and I’ll see you there.