I think we can simplify this even further and say there are 2 keys to learning to write (or improving your writing).
1. Spend more time writing.
2. Obtain feedback.
Without a doubt, writing improves writing and the more you do it, the better you will become. Editing your own work is a crucial ingredient in this recipe, but help from editors and beta readers can certainly enhance the process.
1. Spend more time writing: (Practice makes perfect)
It makes sense right –you will not become great at a sport unless you practice that sport–a lot. There is strong evidence that this is true for writing too. Five studies of exceptional literacy teachers found that great teachers ask their students to write frequently. In nine separate experiments with students, 15 additional minutes of writing time a day in grades two through eight produced better writing. Seventy-eight percent of studies testing the impact of extra writing found that student’s writing quality improved.
Not only did writing quality improve, so did reading comprehension.
2. Write on a computer: (Instant feedback)
In 83 percent of 30 studies on the use of word processing software, students’ writing quality improved when they wrote their papers on a computer instead of writing by hand. The impact was largest for middle school students…
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Disjointed Jottings by Robert Smith (A.K.A. TyCobbsTeeth) 