Ask HN: I find writing difficult, how do I make it easy?

When I'm having a hard time writing a document I usually do the following:

- Go back to basics: Review what an introduction, body, and conclusion should have (and what they shouldn't). This of course will depend on the kind of document, since the structure and content of a research paper, a proposal, or an essay will be different.

- Make an outline: Lay out the different ideas in sentences. At some point, you will have all you need and you will just need to connect the sentences to create paragraphs and then sections. This specifically helps me to write concisely, as my document is a flowing outline.

- Revisit: Finally, if I have the time I like taking a break and revisit (even if it is the next morning). This gives me the time to come back with fresh eyes and spot the parts that do not flow, need more detail, or are redundant.

I've noticed that if I struggle creating the outline, it's because I don't understand well yet what I am trying to write.

When writing instructions treat the reader as if they know nothing. Write simple clear sentences. Each one should explain what the next step should be.

For documentation copy the structure something that does something similiar and start filling in.

Proposals have a structure. Copy it and try to fit in your ideas around it.

"A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people." -- Thomas Mann, Essays of Three Decades

As others have mentioned, deliberate practice is really the only ticket. I bet you write a ton of email, start practicing there. Or your text messages. The more you do it the more you'll discover things that work for you. Also accept that it takes a preposterous amount of time to write well. Reading books on the subject of writing by writers can be comforting in that regard. I'm thinking particularly about Steven King's "On Writing" and "Draft No. 4" by John McPhee.

Also, reading high quality writing is worthwhile. If you mostly read on the internet and you pick-up a really well written book the contrast can be startling.

One unconventional source of great writing I recommend is US Supreme Court opinions [1]. I find almost every single one to be very well written.

[1]: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/

I like to call it writing clean. You write just the subject, the verb, and the object. "Press the button. Find the file on your desktop. Delete the pointer." Do this until you feel more comfortable writing with style. Also, don't be precious about your writing. Today's writing is tomorrow's fish wrapper. Fire and forget. I wrote this, too: https://hackernoon.com/how-to-write-a-book-2065b6e807d3

Most people forget what they learned in school and just “try to write”. Jot down some ideas, create a rough outline. Fill in your outline: introduction, point 1, support 1, point 2, support 2, conclusion, etc.

This works great for documentation. Ask the 5 W’s. Who will read this? Why? When? How often? What are they trying to achieve?

If you’re editing and a sentence doesn’t fit your outline, pull it out and either it’s not important or you need to update your outline.