Some things I've learnt about writing | Hacker News Reader

Some things I've learnt about writing

blog.jgc.org

54 pointsjgrahamc17 comments

As a counterpoint to the Strunk and White recommendation, please take a look at this: 50 Years of Stupid Grammar Advice[1]. (Note that it doesn't primarily object to the stylistic advice in S&W, which it calls "vapid" but "mostly harmless". The real objections are to the grammatical claims and advice.)

Two books on writing I strongly recommend:

Clear and Simple as the Truth: Writing Classic Prose[2], exerpt here[3].

Style: Towards Clarity and Grace - this one has gone through countless versions as the publisher seems to re-release it every academic year. (Make used copies obsolete and raise the price.) I prefer the older, shorter versions to the more recent ones. It was clearer itself when briefer! Anyhow, here's an author search on Amazon - look for older used copies[4]. Edit: Just found this outline of the 6th ed. of the book. A good way to see what he covers in a hurry.[5]

The first is not a standard writing guide; it's a thoughtful analysis of what makes a certain kind of writing clear and persuasive. The second is a more nuts-and-bolts guide to writing. They're both excellent.

[1]: http://chronicle.com/article/50-Years-of-Stupid-Grammar/2549...

[2]: http://classicprose.com/

[3]: http://classicprose.com/csx.html

[4]: http://www.amazon.com/Joseph-M.-Williams/e/B001H6MZ40/ref=nt...

[5]: http://www.oxfordtutorials.com/StyleTenLessons.htm

I second Towards Clarity and Grace.

Additionally, Orwell's Politics and the English Language https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/orwell46.htm.

And as for listening to editors, the world is your editor. Put your writing into the hands of anyone you can and ask for feedback. When someone says it is great, thank them and move on until you find someone who can honestly provide constructive criticism...your work is never great.

Thanks for those recommendations. I was looking for my next few books to read.

I've read those, which are good, but I think this one is better than all of them put together:

http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Well-30th-Anniversary-Edition/...

Without arguing for or against it, I'll just say it's the first book JGC recommends in his linked post. :)

I'm just going to fess up and say that I didn't read the linked post, just the comments.

We all do it sometimes, and it's no big deal. I just couldn't pass up the smile.

This book is on my shelf. It's a thoughtful and practical approach to language and writing. The prose in the book is often winking at you as it reveals a principle.

Two books I've found quite useful are:

The Elements of F*cking Style: a helpful parody. http://www.amazon.ca/Elements-cking-Style-Helpful-Parody/dp/...

The Yahoo Style Guide http://www.amazon.ca/Yahoo-Style-Guide-Ultimate-Sourcebook/d...

I would add Garner's Modern American Usage.

> One risk with technical writing is what I call the fog of knowledge. You know so much about a subject that it's hard to write for someone who isn't as knowledgeable.

Never heard it described that way, but it brilliantly summarizes the point. I think this is why you sometimes learn better from peers than from profs (or other teachers).

My favorite book on writing comes from advertising. Two authors, Kenneth Roman (former Ogivly CEO) and Joel Raphaelson (former Ogivly creative director): Writing That Works (http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Works-Communicate-Effectively-...)

This book has been transforming my long and vague e-mails, letters and blog posts into more crisp and to the point while keeping the tone of the message. Still learning, the book has tons of concrete advice to follow.

> Think about the reader -> I've often heard people say "write for yourself"

Here's the truth, everyone who tells you they're writing for themselves is lying. If they were writing for themselves, they wouldn't publish it publicly.

It seems pretty unnecessary to call such people liars. Surely they know their own minds better than you.

Anyhow, it is not too difficult to understand the “write for yourself” aesthetic, if you are willing to make the effort. I think Jane Espenson describes it best: http://www.janeespenson.com/archives/00000619.php

Why cannot both be true? You write something for yourself, but also publish it in the event that it benefits someone else.

But even so, I think the context here was more like "write the sort of book you would like to read", not strictly "write the book so that I and I alone can then read it".

"Write for yourself" is shorthand. In part, it's to get an individual writing. After a hundred pages of short stories and essays it might evolve to a more restrictive "find your voice".

Once a writer finds a consistent voice, with recurring themes and techniques, the call to write for oneself is unnecessary. There's enough material for an editor to work with that more specific and constructive criticism can be given.

Maybe we should interpret that advice as "write about something that is interesting to you"? You could write about something that you find genuinely interesting, but in a way that makes it accessible to your audience (which isn't yourself, unless you're wrinting your personal diary).

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