

Ask HN: Learning to write effectively - for programmers - teej

I'm a programmer with a hacker mentality.  I'm mostly self-taught through experience and rolling out small projects to learn new technologies.<p>But when it comes to writing, I don't what steps to take to improve.  The resources available on the topic don't speak to my learning style or answer all my questions.<p>So Hacker News, how do I start learning to write effectively?<p>- What is the feedback loop?  How do I know if my writing is good or bad?<p>- If my end goal is to be a business/technology blogger, what changes?<p>- If my end goal is to be a better HN commenter, what changes?
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TallGuyShort
>> \- What is the feedback loop? How do I know if my writing is good or bad?

In my first year of college I was amazed at how helpful it was to just give my
writing to a couple of people and get their comments on it. I had never taken
the idea very seriously - but it changed the way I wrote. Listen to their
comments, even if you don't agree at first. Remember - your writing is usually
for an audience, so pay more attention to their opinion than your own.

>> \- If my end goal is to be a business/technology blogger, what changes?

Aside from just practicing and reading that kind of material, I would
recommend you study rhetoric - the art of making a good argument by taking
into account your strengths as an author, the specifics and emotions of your
audience, and the logic of your argument (ethos, pathos, and logos)

>> \- If my end goal is to be a better HN commenter, what changes?

Any person who has real experience, sincere opinions and good manners will
probably make a great HN commenter.

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grellas
Strunk & White, Fowler, et al. emphasize rules and precepts. These are OK but
too one-dimensional.

Stephen King, after years at his trade, emphasized basics - master grammar. I
would add (with TallGuyShort), master rhetoric. In addition, I threw myself
into the study of classical languages (Latin and Greek) in order to master
complex sentence constructions, fine points of verbs, etc. Once you learn all
that, it is important that you basically throw it away - that is, that you
never come across as pedantic.

The great example of a light and brilliant style by someone thoroughly
grounded in the classics is P.G. Wodehouse. His topics are all fluff. His
style is priceless. Fun, light in tone, yet full of subtlety (all drawn from
his classical training with words and with literary allusions). Read about how
Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, who played Bertie and Jeeves in a BBC series,
positively gush over his style (they don't exaggerate).

As an autodidact, it would seem you are a natural to throw yourself into this
area as well. If interested, here is a link to something I did on what lawyers
need to do to write well (<http://www.grellas.com/articles.html>), for what it
is worth.

Can't speak to blogging itself. I'm sure others can.

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ErrantX
Write lots, it's the only real solution.

I dabble in article writing (more for print media than the web) and you get
slowly better over time. At one point I had a weekly column and my style
improved dramatically due to the regularity of writing.

Getting feedback can be tough: if your blogging then places like HN, Reddit
etc. can be good critics - but usually more of your ideas than your style.
Dont bother with writers forums and the likes either - they tend to be very
proud of pedaticism over language etc. As suggested send stuff to friends and
see what they have to say; or even better people you don't know too well (but
suspect will give you straight advise).

One general tip I picked up (ironically from seeing the playback of pg writing
an essay a while back) is refactor, rewrite and edit yourself (dammit, really
stuck for a good word here! err....) extensively (ugh). One tactic I find
useful is to pop small notes into the text when I feel like I hate the
sentence I just wrote (for example) and come back to it later.

Dont be scared to put passion and force into your writing - at the end of the
day if your content is solid it will stand up for your readers. But if you
don't sound passionate or involved in what you have to say then people will
notice your disconnection from the subject. If you get behind a good argument
it lends it a lot more weight.

In terms of HN commentary: I would say that is very different. My writing
style on here is very plain and often rushed and boorish (possibly, no
definitely, self centred). Just be polite that's the main thing :D you don't
really have room to form a complete and subtle argument in a comment!

EDIT: one final comment on opinions. If you decide to form some (a few
bloggers / writers DO successfully write with no obvious opinions) then take
time now to decide how strongly you present them. I am generally renowned for
being very strong and forceful with my opinions (though I hope able to be
swayed by a good counter argument - my friends will scoff at that:D). If your
likely to be the same the piece of advice I have is _always_ re-read what you
wrote several times in the few hrs/days after you write it. Knee jerk
reactions or over zealous commenting can be easy when you get wrapped in an
opinion too tightly and I usually find myself rewriting a comment several
times to clarify a message that got muddied in the explosion :D

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olliesaunders
When I wanted to improve my writing I started with grammar after I realised
how effectively my school education had failed to teach me it. I highly
recommend this forum <http://absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=111>
if you're interested in that.

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makecheck
Use few words, and eighth-grade English. (Easier for anyone to understand, but
also better for foreign colleagues.)

E-mail is a great place to start being clear and concise. This encourages
people to read everything you say, without skimming. Plus, they can always
mail you back if you left out anything important.

