| I really like this line in the article: "Bad writing is bad thinking." So true. Sometimes I just write when I'm confused about something and it helps clarify things. Since this is HN, I'm going to add a shameless plug. For 4 years I've run Write Battle, a game for writers (originally anyone writing emails, instant messages, etc...but user base has largely turned out to be marketers) to compete against each other to devise the most concise prose. The best writing wins, as judged by brevity (response length) and readability (Flesch-Kincaid). Right now, as we speak, I'm turning these games into a set of interactive, gamified, bite-size courses to teach the basics of effective writing without boring reading or lectures. I should have the first set of (free) courses done in about a week [0]. My approach is that while grammar and formal rules are important, practical effect is more important, so the games and courses I've made so far focus more on effectiveness than theory and rules. Turns out writing is more fun that way too! [0] https://writebattle.com |
To me good writing is about communicating your point well. It's hard to tell what I'm supposed to communicate from a few isolated lines.