How to Write Like You Mean It
Good writing is like a mythical creature: Legendary. Elusive as hell.
The best advice I’ve seen comes from the blog Without Bullshit:
“Be clear, be brief, and don’t be boring.”
As I see it, great writing requires a few things:
- A sense of vision;
- Putting pen to paper, and;
- More editing than you’d ever think.
Prewriting
“To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme.”
– Herman Melville
So you aren’t writing Moby Dick. Doesn’t matter. You still need a strong direction. Take time to research and plan your writing.
Read, dammit.
The best way to improve your writing is to read. Explore different authors, genres, and styles — they can all teach you new things. Jot down words and phrases that tickle your fancy and revisit them every once in a while, especially when your ideas are feeling stale. I have a notebook full of words like “perspicuous” that I rarely use, but that exercise my vocabulary muscles.
Use your imagination.
Before you write a single word, envision the end result. Imagine the ideal structure and tone. Empathize with your readers. Think about how you want them to feel. If you need some prompting, ask yourself: Why am I writing this?
Gather ye raw materials.
Catalog everything you need to tell your story: statistics, quotes, examples, expert opinions, multimedia, and so forth. If you’re interviewing someone, create a list of questions and share them with the interviewee at least a day in advance, so she can come to the interview prepared.
Get back 2 basics.
Create an outline, even if it’s brief, and run it by someone you trust. You can always use the template you learned in English class: start with an introduction that articulates your “thesis,” support your argument with specific examples, then conclude with a clear takeaway.
Writing
“The great enemy of clear language is insincerity.” — George Orwell, “Politics and the English Language”
The first draft is an opportunity to experiment. Use your outline as a guide to explore where your ideas take you. Don’t get overly attached or self-critical at this stage. (I know — it’s hard.)
Wake up with the birds.
Research tells us that the prefrontal cortex — the “creative brain” — is most active in the early morning, just after you wake up. You also haven’t yet exhausted your willpower. So get your ass up and write.
Eliminate distractions.
Listen to music that helps you think (some people swear by jazz; I personally like epic movie soundtracks at loud volumes). Post up in a place where you won’t be disturbed. If you’re into that minimalist vibe, use a plain-text editor like ZenPen to cut out visual clutter.
Write something — anything.
Self-editing as you write is counter-productive. Use the power of your stream of consciousness and try your best to dismiss the self-judgment. Sometimes you need to get the dull ideas on paper before unearthing the shiny ones. If you’re struggling to put an idea into words, imagine how you would describe it to a friend. Think about the questions they might have, then address them.
Be specific. Be concrete.
Anyone can write in generalities — it’s when writers scrape beneath the surface that things get interesting. Include examples and analogies that people can understand and relate to, and support your claims with statistics, anecdotes, and quotes. Don’t be afraid to cite examples from your personal experience if they’re relevant.
Leave the first for last.
Come back to your introduction after you’ve finished a first draft. You’ll have a better idea about how you want to start, and can tie it to your conclusion.
Editing
“To write is human, to edit is divine.” — Stephen King, On Writing
Don’t jump into editing after you finish your draft. Take at least a few hours — and ideally a day — to clear your mind before revising.
Get to the point.
Readers have short attention spans. Make your point and move on. Cut long sentences into multiple shorter ones, so they’re easier to digest. Eliminate repetition, filler words, and anything that doesn’t serve the reader.
Use active voice.
Identify instances of passive voice and rewrite as many as possible. You can find passive voice by looking for to-be verbs (be, being, been, am, is, was and were). Note that not every sentence with a to-be verb is necessarily passive, so make sure you understand the difference.
Just say no to jargon.
Insider language and buzzwords make you look pompous. What’s more, your readers will have a hard time understanding you. Consult the expertly curated MBA Jargon Watch for a list of words to avoid.
Tap the right help.
Find someone who can give you feedback on your style and storytelling: diction, sentence flow, clarity, point of view, and so on. You also need someone detail-oriented enough to edit for grammatical errors and typos. This may or may not be the same person.
There you have it. Now go forth and write like you mean it.
