Writing Well - Part 4 - Writing Style
In this chapter I have tried to call your attention to many of the writerly habits that result in soggy prose: metadiscourse, signposting, hedging, apologizing, professional narcissism, clichés, mixed metaphors, metaconcepts, zombie nouns, and unnecessary passives. Writers who want to invigorate their prose could try to memorize that list of don’ts
... See moreSteven Pinker • The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century
“A few tips on how to be a better writer:
– write about what fascinates you
– make one point per sentence
– use stories to make your point
– cut extra words like “really” and “very”
– read the whole thing out loud
– post publicly (you’ll try harder when you know others will read it)
And finally, be more thoughtful about what you consume. The quality of id... See more
– write about what fascinates you
– make one point per sentence
– use stories to make your point
– cut extra words like “really” and “very”
– read the whole thing out loud
– post publicly (you’ll try harder when you know others will read it)
And finally, be more thoughtful about what you consume. The quality of id... See more
James Clear • 3-2-1: On taking action, tips for writers, and good relationships
As for how to write well, here's the short version: Write a bad version 1 as fast as you can; rewrite it over and over; cut out everything unnecessary; write in a conversational tone; develop a nose for bad writing, so you can see and fix it in yours; imitate writers you like; if you can't get started, tell someone what you plan to write about, the... See more
I want to do is write serious, complicated, difficult things in a very easy style that is fluid and comfortable to read.