Everyone who participates in this forum is a writer. Aside from linked videos and such, writing is how we communicate on this platform. I also write extensively at work, as I’m sure many others do. I sometimes write in private for no purpose other than to practice writing and collect my thoughts. Like many others, I was ruthlessly forced to write when I was a student, but a couple of decades later I’m finding that I actually enjoy writing.
Despite my best efforts at becoming a better writer over the years, I feel like I too frequently fail at communicating my thoughts in a clear and concise manner. If taken today, I would probably fail every 8th grade grammar test I somehow managed to pass back then. I recently read technical material I wrote 10 years ago and wonder how anyone ever made use of the verbose dumpster fire I put my name on. I’ve gotten better since then, but I feel like my writing is something I can dramatically improve on. I’d like to start a thread to share our thoughts on how we write and how we improve at our writing.
I’ll start by tagging some of the people whose writing I admire.
@T3hPwnisher I find your writing to be extremely clear and concise. I’m not sure any other poster is better at conveying ideas in as few words as you consistently manage, especially when it comes to training.
@ActivitiesGuy I find your writing to be very clear, especially when you weigh in on complex issues you deal with at work. You are very good at condensing complex statistical and epidemiological concepts down to a form where a layman like me can follow along.
@jewbacca You write exactly how I expect a lawyer to write, which is something I cannot say about all of the lawyers I know.
I’m sure I’m forgetting many other posters whose writing I’ve enjoyed and admired, but I’d also like to tag @mufasa, @polo77j, @dt79, @TheMyth, @emilyq, @Aragorn, @loppar. The list ends there because I guess THE MAN only lets you tag 10 people per post. There are too many people for me to tag. We have a lot of people on here who use the written word very effectively. I really appreciate the long-format discussions that take place here. Taking part in my small slice of these discussions has helped my writing tremendously. My sincere thanks goes out to everyone who takes the time to share their thoughts with their writing.
I suppose I should also thank everyone who has tolerated my tasteless jokes on these forums over the years. I now understand why my words may have been poorly-chosen. I promise it won’t happen again.
Back on-topic…
Speaking for my own writing, I’m trying to improve on a few things right now. In my professional writing, I’m striving for clarity and simplicity. I need to convey the necessary information, give appropriate context and spend my words carefully so I can keep the attention of my audience. I have a tendency to explore rabbit holes that can sometimes be useful, but can often be skipped altogether.
In my casual writing on this forum, I feel like I should probably hit that little trashcan button more often. That’s just the beginning of how my writing on T-Nation can improve.
I’d be very pleased to hear other people’s thoughts on how they approach writing. What has been helpful to you? Authors, techniques, mindsets, I’d like to hear about whatever has worked for you to make you a better writer.