
Ask HN: Courses or Books in Better Writing - obayesshelton
Hi All,<p>I am looking for any good Courses or Books on better writing. I have been writing a few pre-read documents for pitches&#x2F;proposal for my startup and I don&#x27;t feel they quite hit the mark. I asked someone to help me write what I was thinking and the output was fantastic but they wouldn&#x27;t really tell me how they did it. They said it was just repetition of doing documents. However, I kinda need something to start with.<p>Has anyone read any good technical documents aimed at business or done any good courses?<p>Thanks
Oliver
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yesenadam
I have a few tips:

1\. What you start with: Do a first draft! It's supposed to be terrible. Once
you get something (bad) down on paper, it's not hard to make it better,
reorganize, clarify, simplify. Repeat. No-one writes a great first draft. It's
just about getting something on paper to start editing.

2\. Draw, sketch. Use diagrams in working out the relationships between parts,
stages, plans, people etc that you want to talk about–maybe even in the
finished document.

3\. Read Zinsser's _On Writing Well_. It's about non-fiction prose of all
kinds. A wonderful book.

[http://gen.lib.rus.ec/search.php?req=zinsser+on+writing+well](http://gen.lib.rus.ec/search.php?req=zinsser+on+writing+well)

~~~
massimo-nazaria
Totally agree with point 3 about Zinsser's "On Writing Well". BTW, great
tips!! :)

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gatherhunterer
I can't provide exactly what you're looking for, but I would disagree with
outright repetition as a means of learning to do any kind of writing. If you
repeat bad practices due to inexperience you will be training to a bad job
with confidence. Hemingway said that being a good writer means being a
dedicated reader and that reading is the activity of training to write
(heavily paraphrased from A Moveable Feast). If you want to write good
technical documentation, there is nothing that will prepare you as well as
experiencing the difference between good and bad examples. If you can get your
hands on some real-world examples of what you want to write then you will
develop a critical eye as you read them. I am sure that there are some that
would make you eager to throw your money in the ring and there are probably
some that would embarrass you if you were a part of the pitch.

For a more minute suggestion, look into cognitive ease and how it is affected
by language (Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman is a personal and HN
favorite). If you are trying to be persuasive, don't use weird words like
people do when they are writing their first resume, forgo words that you have
trouble pronouncing and use jargon judiciously to inspire a positive and
confident reaction.

Also, here's a Quora thread[1] that suggests the exact opposite approach and
also gives a book recommendation. While I disagree with that advice it may not
matter because, as pointed out there, these documents are proprietary.

1\. [https://www.quora.com/Where-can-I-view-real-world-
business-p...](https://www.quora.com/Where-can-I-view-real-world-business-
plans-not-sample-plans)

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Blakestr
I'm going to piggy back on this so if you find the most accurate answer, I'd
like to know too.

In my attempt to help, one of the most helpful books for writing (traditional
fiction/nonfiction) is "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers" \- the maxim, "Show,
don't tell" is the central theme and what I would recommend you consider, but
tailor it to a technical aspect. Here's an example of telling vs showing -

That night, the father was very nervous while he waited while he waited for
his daughter.

VS

He checked his watch. 1:03 a.m. The father noted his nail was almost chewed to
the nub. He got up and walked to the window and peered out. He checked his
watch again, still chewing on his raw finger. It was still 1:03 a.m.

See the difference? Showing typically takes more effort and time which makes
it challenge for engineer-types whose livelihood often depends on efficiency
and saving time. But the result is more powerful as you begin to empathize
with the character.

I struggle with technical writing too so the only other advice I could add is
to get OTHER eyes on your writing as much as possible, that fresh perspective
is invaluable.

Also, amazon mturk has surveys that you can have strangers do quick surveys
for like 25-50 cents a head (it's mercenary work so the survey needs to be
quick)... but you can consider using it if you want to test clarity in your
message - mind you, these will NOT be investors but if you are trying to
explain a technical concept to outsiders, (investors probably won't understand
why your pitch is so important) then chances are if you get 50 strangers on
the internet to all understand your technical statement, you are probably in
good shape.

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tmaly
If your looking for a good book on writing as far as logical structure, I
would highly recommend The Pyramid Principle

[https://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-Principle-Logic-Writing-
Think...](https://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-Principle-Logic-Writing-
Thinking/dp/0273710516)

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diehunde
On writing well by W. Zinsser is a classic.

