Question

Opinion: What is the secret to writing well?

I don't need homework help. I don't need a right answer. I want to hear what you think!

What is your most powerful writing secret? A verbose lexicon? Intriguing content (if so, what kind)? Catchy slogans?

Let's start a discussion!

Answer 1

I think the secret to writing well is to know that you are not perfect. You will have run-on sentences. You will have comma issues. You will have misspellings. You will have sentence fragments. A good writer will proofread and rewrite, then proofread and rewrite again.

Answer 2

I believe passion is the greatest secret in writing. Without it, you'll have some boring crap.

Answer 3

I write something that I would want to read and something that is important to me. If I'm not interested in it how can I expect anyone else to be?

Answer 4

@Peeps - You imply that there are consequences if you don't know your imperfections. Beyond grammatical and orthographic mistakes, what are the ramifications of thinking you are perfect?

@nightlife138 - I think that with passion comes the responsibility of self-moderation. I think about the number of writers to write passionately, but don't have a "game plan" or strategy to compete with other passionate writers. I'm curious. What are you most passionate about?

@rtraylor3 - I feel the same. So, how do you get by having to write about a boring topic -- something you're uninterested in? I think that is the crux of most of the problems students have when writing: being totally apathetic.

Answer 5

There are consequences to thinking you are a perfect writer. Not only will you miss the grammatical errors and misspellings, but also your readers can misinterpret your writing if you do not express yourself clearly. I will often reread something I have written, and even I do not understand what I wrote. I am a huge fan of the proofreading process. If I cannot interpret my own work, how can I expect someone else to understand it?

Answer 6

I'd like to direct your attention to George Orwell's "Fifty Essays" ( http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks03/0300011h.html).

He's considered a concise but verbose writer. Perfect? Questionable; find me a reasonable metric for perfection in writing, and I'll take it and win a few hundred million dollars with evaluation software patents. That said, Orwell is pretty damn good. He manages to fit in a lot of ideas within very little text. His prose is clear but thoughtful. In my mind, his style is the best form of journalist writing. If I had to pick one style to master, it would be Mr. Orwell's.

( http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/10947/pg10947.html) "The Best American Short Stories" is also a lovely place to pick up good writing through exposure. Obviously, this is geared more towards fiction writing.

For philosophical writing, I suggest Karl Popper ("The Logic of Scientific Discovery"). He is very technical and nuanced. I can't link to any of his works, though; I don't think they're open source.

For academic/research writing, Michael Spivak ("Real Analysis") and Richard Feynman ("Lecture Notes") are the best. They can convey the subtleties of their professions very well in their texts. Unfortunately, their texts are also expensive, a byproduct of being used in higher level college classes.

Of course, these are just suggestions. I do not state that any of these men are perfect writers.

As an informal style, "Buttercup Festival" ( http://buttercupfestival.com/) has my preferred style of dialogue. Short, clever, and clear.

Disclaimer: I don't study the humanities. I'm strictly a science student. But I do enjoy reading, so make of it what you will.

Answer 7

@badreferences thank you for your valuable help! I too am an admirer of Orwell. Have you read any Hemingway? I bet that, if you like Buttercup Festival, you'd love Hemingway.

By the way, I didn't take you seriously at first because of your username!

Answer 8

This is a valuable discussion. Thanks for starting it. And it is interesting that badref, you imply that humanities students should be better writers than science students. I am really glad you are both a science student and a good writer. It will serve you well!

Answer 9

My passion is politics and the drive to become better than the day before.. I will do anything in my power to become a political mastermind, I will save America from the fate of socialism!

Answer 10

Go, Captain Nightlife!

@logangraham

I have not read Hemingway, and I really don't know where to start. Any suggestions?

@Preetha

Interesting you say that, since I think you gave a TED speech a short while ago. The public interface with science is almost as important as the science itself; and being a better communicator, through text or speech, is what motivates the next generation. Also, it gets you more grant money.

But I have very little to say about that right now. I'm just a student doing research under a professor.

Answer 11

Writing about something boring. You have to find something interesting about it. At least that's what I do.