Good question. Hmm… I spend most of my working day writing, reading, editing, or giving feedback on writing. So I suppose I am, though I wouldn’t introduce myself as a professional writer.
I’m glad you think my writing is eloquent. If I write well it’s down to lots of practice and reading. I was not great at writing through school. There was some improvement from about age 17, which I put down starting to read several novels each week from about age 15/16.
It was not until university that I realised poor writing was holding me back, and that writing is work – i.e. it’s not just a case of recording the words in one’s mind in the order that they appear. That’s only step one.
So I read several books on style, craft, and on how to write essays, fiction, and non-fiction. All the while testing out voices and styles in assessments to make the most of feedback.
The first book that was helpful was Strunk and White, The Elements of Style. Orwell’s (I know, I know, but this one is worth reading) Politics and the English Language was also useful. While both helped with writing more clearly and accurately, I also started to write quite densely – a result of trying to write as briefly as possible.
That’s when I started thinking about creative non-fiction. Long before becoming a Marxist, I found, IIRC, Peter Medawar’s ‘advice to a young scientist’ quite useful (I’ll try to dig up the article and exact title).
Now I think there are no easy formulas for good writing. There are lots of different types. Still, there is a lot to be said for the following notions:
good writing takes time, care, and attention;
good writing involves re-writing;
the first draft can always be improved;
the second, third, and forth, etc, drafts can also be improved – you have to decide which draft is good enough;
writing is a craft and we cannot assume it will come naturally, so we need to pay attention to good examples and learn to figure out why they are good, then to try the same technique to see if it improves our own work.
Now I’m hoping your ‘wondering how [I] do it’ wasn’t rhetorical. If it wasn’t rhetorical, I am happy to keep talking about writing.
Oh not in the slightest was it rhetorical, I appreciate the detailed response. It shows that you are an active writer. I have taken note of those books.
A problem for me especially is writing densely and my own patience.
I myself am a highschool student in the US and there was never any actual advice or help for me to try to elaborate my own thoughts into a strong voice. I always had a faint idea of what i was trying to say, but it would never come out just right. This became increasingly apparent whenever I would try to elaborate my political views or debunk Western propaganda.
Another issue i run into, is this weird “wanna be professional” voice i get when writing. A lot of big words or language with little value, and sounds very artificial. Now this probably stems from teachers telling us to “sound right” and having us fill a word quota so the essay becomes incredibly bloated.
Okay ill be working on my writing, tho for further discussion what would you recommend, DMs? Email? I assume using this thread wouldn’t be wise in the long run. I really, honest to god, appreciate you taking time to respond. :)
That’s high praise! Thank you.
Good question. Hmm… I spend most of my working day writing, reading, editing, or giving feedback on writing. So I suppose I am, though I wouldn’t introduce myself as a professional writer.
I’m glad you think my writing is eloquent. If I write well it’s down to lots of practice and reading. I was not great at writing through school. There was some improvement from about age 17, which I put down starting to read several novels each week from about age 15/16.
It was not until university that I realised poor writing was holding me back, and that writing is work – i.e. it’s not just a case of recording the words in one’s mind in the order that they appear. That’s only step one.
So I read several books on style, craft, and on how to write essays, fiction, and non-fiction. All the while testing out voices and styles in assessments to make the most of feedback.
The first book that was helpful was Strunk and White, The Elements of Style. Orwell’s (I know, I know, but this one is worth reading) Politics and the English Language was also useful. While both helped with writing more clearly and accurately, I also started to write quite densely – a result of trying to write as briefly as possible.
That’s when I started thinking about creative non-fiction. Long before becoming a Marxist, I found, IIRC, Peter Medawar’s ‘advice to a young scientist’ quite useful (I’ll try to dig up the article and exact title).
Now I think there are no easy formulas for good writing. There are lots of different types. Still, there is a lot to be said for the following notions:
Now I’m hoping your ‘wondering how [I] do it’ wasn’t rhetorical. If it wasn’t rhetorical, I am happy to keep talking about writing.
Oh not in the slightest was it rhetorical, I appreciate the detailed response. It shows that you are an active writer. I have taken note of those books.
A problem for me especially is writing densely and my own patience.
I myself am a highschool student in the US and there was never any actual advice or help for me to try to elaborate my own thoughts into a strong voice. I always had a faint idea of what i was trying to say, but it would never come out just right. This became increasingly apparent whenever I would try to elaborate my political views or debunk Western propaganda.
Another issue i run into, is this weird “wanna be professional” voice i get when writing. A lot of big words or language with little value, and sounds very artificial. Now this probably stems from teachers telling us to “sound right” and having us fill a word quota so the essay becomes incredibly bloated.
Okay ill be working on my writing, tho for further discussion what would you recommend, DMs? Email? I assume using this thread wouldn’t be wise in the long run. I really, honest to god, appreciate you taking time to respond. :)
Apologies, Citrus. It’s been a bit hectic on my end. I’ll send you a PM soon!
No worries! I am binge finishing all the latework over this break so i completely understand. Take your time!