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RE: These short little words are the grease of English
So what does a writer do to sound more colloquial? A crab is uh crustacean?* The only reason I ask is because I love to write in a soft conversational manner too. But that's always stumped me.
You pose an interesting question. The simplest solution seems to be to write in a style that reflect's one's own manner of speech. For example, of the people that know me and read my articles, they often say that they can hear my voice when they read my words. This suggests to me that what I write reflects my style and manner of speaking.
To exercise this style of writing trying reading aloud what you write. Does it feel stiff when you read it aloud? Do you feel resistance in the reading of any sentence? I suggest that if you feel some discomfort while reading it aloud, you may not necessarily be writing words in the style of your speech.
I do try to write in my own style of speech, but for certain topics, that isn't always so easy as a more formal style may be required for the audience that is relevant to the topic. On some days, I'm in the mood for a bit of catharsis, so in that case, I tend to relax my writing style and add a bit more edge to it.
Ultimately, colloquialism is a matter of personal preference and taste, as well as a sense of what your audience expects from you. You want to welcome your audience, and avoid alienating them by being too familiar with them (or not enough), in a manner of speaking. Like any other skill, such a style requires time to try it, test it, and see what the response is.
This spectrum for variation in style is what makes writing fun for me. I hope you find this information helpful.
Have a fine day. Write on. :)