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Write Simply

paulgraham.com

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Re: Write Simply

#81

Post by chrischapman »

hirundo wrote: post #13
mromanuk wrote: post #8

Achieving simplicity is hard. Allow me to explain, with a software analogy, too many times "customers" or users wants a "simple" solution, wrongly expecting that a simple final product was made with a simple implementation, which is not the case at all. It's the opposite. I would expect the same process about writing, a final and concise essay requires tons of work, removing a word and replacing it with a common alte…

"If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter." -- Blaise Pascal https://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/04/28/shorter-letter/

Wow. Love this. Also, it seems like it could apply to software development, as in... "If I had more time, I would have written less code."

Re: Write Simply

#83

Post by geofft »

runawaybottle wrote: post #51
serverholic wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ah the old nerd trick of disregarding the context of a statement and applying it to a context where it clearly doesn't work. Do you really think Paul Graham is arguing against James Joyce style writing? Why would you think that?

Well okay, who is he addressing? That’s pretty much the only question I had reading it. Surely it isn’t the modern blogger or clickbait ‘journalists’, since they know what they are doing and we know what they are doing. It’s possible he simply said nothing.

It reads very much like it's a response to this not-even-particularly-upvoted comment on his last essay, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26377185 "Why does he write like an SAT reading comprehension passage"

Kind of incredible.

Re: Write Simply

#84

Post by keiferski »

cousin_it wrote: post #77

When something feels easy to read, it's not just a matter of using simple words. To maximize scanability, you need to use a mix of long and short words, and also mix long and short sentences, until you achieve a kind of "flow". Famously, Dovlatov's prose (in Russian) avoids having words that start with the same letter in the same sentence, which is unnoticeable to the reader but makes the words just fly off the page.…

Was the Emperor written, or was it the biography?

You skipped the first half of my sentence, which makes it pretty clear who wrote the book. At least, I think it does. In any case, you did make me realize the last clause is awkwardly written, so thanks! I amended my original comment.

Re: Write Simply

#85

Post by serverholic »

runawaybottle wrote: post #51
serverholic wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ah the old nerd trick of disregarding the context of a statement and applying it to a context where it clearly doesn't work. Do you really think Paul Graham is arguing against James Joyce style writing? Why would you think that?

Well okay, who is he addressing? That’s pretty much the only question I had reading it. Surely it isn’t the modern blogger or clickbait ‘journalists’, since they know what they are doing and we know what they are doing. It’s possible he simply said nothing.

Try to not be autistic for a second. Paul Graham is in the tech scene. PERHAPS he's talking about things like coding tutorials, technical blogs, press releases, documentaiton, etc.

I'd argue that simple writing is great in that domain.

Re: Write Simply

#86

Post by haswell »

davidivadavid wrote: post #34

Seems like this whole essay argues for clarity rather than simplicity — probably a better goal to aim for, too. He opposes simple to "fancy", but the opposite of simple isn't just "fancy", that's, well, a simplification. The opposite of "simple" writing may be: "rich" writing, "complex" writing, none of which are particularly problematic for Graham's goal provided that they're paired with enough clarity. That "simple…

> That "simple" writing lasts longer is disproved by many works of literature that have made their way to us through history, most of which, by the standard of this essay, could be considered complex.

- Would that literature have been considered complex at the time it was written? How much of that perceived complexity is due to changing writing styles, education standards, etc?

- Writing a book and writing a proposal for the next project/product have entirely different definitions of "lasting". Context matters greatly.

> As someone with a modicum of experience in the philosophy of language, I must also say that I do not look kindly on people who take for granted that there even could be such a thing as a thought without language, a "pure idea", since for all we know such a thing has never been observed.

This sentence is a good example of the kind of unnecessary complexity described by the essay. You seem to be saying that "pure ideas are not possible without language", but that's not clear in your writing. If your intent it to exclude people who do not have a "modicum of experience in the philosophy of language", I have to ask: why?

Re: Write Simply

#88

Post by jjice »

Simple writing definitely has its place along side more complex writing. It depends on the goal for sure. Writing to an audience to convey an idea. Maybe simple is better. Writing a document for the sales team of your product? Probably want to make it simple and leave out complexities.

I do however understand some of the comments saying that complex writing can be more artful. A good analogy, symbolism, or metaphor can go a long way to driving home a point in a more elegant way.

Re: Write Simply

#89

Post by artembugara »

I recommend everyone to use the Hemingway Editor to keep track of how easy it is to read your texts: https://hemingwayapp.com/

Especially, if you're a tech writer.

Explaining complex things in a simple way is what you should aim for.

My #1 rule in writing: "if you can remove this word, and the reader can still understand what you mean then do so"

Re: Write Simply

#90

Post by keiferski »

dfxm12 wrote: post #72
keiferski wrote: post #43

Meh. Reducing language to a mere communication tool also destroys much of its beauty, meaning, and ability to inspire or motivate us. I don't think it's a coincidence that the loss of interest in poetry has coincided with a general loss of respect for literary culture. I had this impression recently while reading the Akbarnama , which is a sort of court-approved biography of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. It was written b…

There's a difference in writing, like there's a difference in painting. Painting a house is different from painting the Mona Lisa. Writing a work instruction or standard operating procedure is different from writing a poem and both are different from writing pop fiction or non-fiction. You can optimize for meaning , optimize for beauty , or you can optimize for inspiration , but it's hard to get all of them, and this…

I took the objective of the essay to be "communicating ideas."

There is certainly no reason why one can't write well and communicate their ideas at the same time. In fact, I'd argue that well-written ideas spread more quickly. Things like The Bible or The Qur'an would likely be far less influential if they were poorly written.

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