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Write Simply

paulgraham.com

241–250 of 354 posts

Re: Write Simply

#241
I think this is an extension of pg’s advice he gives to YC startups when they describe themselves. For those who have looked a website or sat through a pitch deck and wondered what the hell the company actually does, this advice is crucial. I don’t believe he is talking about fictional literary works, but rather language for communications.

YC was probably the first proponent of the X for Y type of startup descriptions, because the analogies are simple and give you a starting point to begin understanding.

Re: Write Simply

#242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also, we should give authors the benefit of the doubt. If an opinion is not broadly applicable then we shouldn't jump to conclusions and assume that was the authors intent.

> If an opinion is not broadly applicable then we shouldn't jump to conclusions and assume that was the authors intent. Graham states in this essay that his goal is: "ideas leap into your head and you barely notice the words that got them there". Given that this is the goal of his writing style, it's not at all surprising that his readers often jump to ("incorrect") conclusions barely noticing what got them there. Mo…

I don't think it's just Graham though. I see this kind of thing in every comment section on hacker news. That would indicate to me the the cause is something different than this particular writing style.

People here LOVE to take statements and search for contexts where the statement doesn't work, then act like that was what the author was arguing.

Re: Write Simply

#243
Being concise and to-the-point is just as important as using simple English.

That blog post is too long for the ideas it conveys (kinda ironic?). Here are some things I found tiring to read:

"There's an Italian dish called saltimbocca, which means "leap into the mouth." My goal when writing might be called saltintesta: the ideas leap into your head and you barely notice the words that got them there."

^ This analogy is distracting and not required to communicate a simple concept.

"It's too much to hope that writing could ever be pure ideas. You might not even want it to be. But for most writers, most of the time, that's the goal to aim for. The gap between most writing and pure ideas is not filled with poetry."

^Just delete this. What are you trying to say here?

"It's like trailing a long train behind you that readers have to carry."

^I don't understand this analogy. Long train I am trying to carry behind me? That is a ridiculous and distracting image you have put into the readers mind.

"If the friction of reading is low enough, more keep going till the end."

^This is an obtuse and awkward way of saying: "People are more likely to read things they easily understand"

"Indeed, lasting is not merely an accidental quality of chairs, or writing. It's a sign you did a good job."

^ Where did chairs come from?

But although these are all real advantages of writing simply, none of them are why I do it. The main reason I write simply is that it offends me not to."

^ Delete, doesn't add any value tbh

Re: Write Simply

#244

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Copywriter here. Sometimes the client gives me the barest thread of a topic, some minor, new product or service or partnership for them, something that could be covered comprehensively in 300 words... and then they say they want a 1000+ word blog post on it (for SEO purposes). That article is going to end up being mostly fluff, and there’s not much I can do about it. Sure, I can work in some background and play up th…

Sounds like your clients might benefit from reading this essay :P

The text is being optimized for an algorithmic reader, not a human reader. For this essay to make any difference to OP, Google's search engineers would have to read it.

Re: Write Simply

#245
""" As Kevin Williamson observed, Sowell is “that rarest of things among serious academics: plainspoken.” From 1991 until 2016, his nationally syndicated column set the bar for clear writing, though the topics he covered were often complex. “Too many academics write as if plain English is beneath their dignity,” Sowell once said, “and some seem to regard logic as an unconstitutional infringement of their freedom of speech.” If academics birth needlessly complex prose, editors too often midwife it. An editor, Sowell once quipped, would probably have changed Shakespeare’s “To be or not to be, that is the question” to something awful, like “The issue is one of existence versus non-existence.” """

https://www.city-journal.org/thomas-sowell-race-poverty-cult...

Re: Write Simply

#246

“Easy reading is damn hard writing.“ — Nathaniel Hawthorne (apparently)* There’s definite value to simplicity in writing. At the same time, like all principles, people tend to run with the idea and misapply it. There are some cases in which your work demands a certain level of precision that’s only possible using complex words or jargon. Not to mention, writing that’s a little complicated can be a lot more fun! There…

I believe the best piece of advice is, "Know your audience."

I believe this is a piece of the best advice: 1. Who is your audience? 2. What do you want to tell them? 3. What do you want them to do?

These are the Three Questions.

My advice: answer them before you create a powerpoint, an email, an essay, a policy. They create a sharp tool for thought.

Re: Write Simply

#247

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…

Another comment mentioned that using a word with multiple meanings increases confusion.

I would argue that "writing" can mean "writing the tool" as well as "writing the art form." PG is talking about "writing the tool."

Confusingly, both the tool and the art form can convey ideas.

Certain ideas can be conveyed better by art ("a picture is worth a thousand words"). Visual art is typically more accessible than complex prose, but all forms of art can reach levels of inaccessibility that are frustrating to those not "in the know."

Re: Write Simply

#248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most complicated writing of the kind PG is complaining about isn't beautiful, though. It's verbose and clumsy and full of less good replacements for common words, like "purchase" instead of "buy", "utilize" instead of "use" and so on. Or it has flowery phrases that add nothing. A recent example is Github's recent blog post about a security vulnerability they fixed [0]. Its opening paragraph: "On the evening of March…

PG is complaining about most complicated writing, which is not beautiful. It uses too many words and the wrong words, like "purchase" instead of "buy" and "utilize" instead of "use". It has complex phrases that add nothing. Github's blog post about fixing a security weakness [0] is a recent example: "On the evening of March 8, we invalidated all authenticated sessions on GitHub.com created prior to 12:03 UTC on March…

can you learn to use > when quoting? its hard to read what you are saying vs what you are responding to.

like this:

> Hmm. You may be right.

thats all i ask

Re: Write Simply

#250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the blog post is about programming and it adopts a didactic style, i.e., telling the reader what to do, and it is obviously based on personal preferences -- either the author's or someone else's -- I react the same way. To me, these writings are only opinions. The internet is absolutely loaded with programmers offering opinions or repeating the opinions of others but framing them as directives . Do this or don't d…

I'm not so convinced of the difference between the "real world" and online. Misinformation, propaganda & charlatans all existed in droves long before the internet. In fact, it's almost certainly true that your average internet user is far better informed about actual facts than the average pre-internet person. Scepticism about what you read is advisable everywhere, internet users have become better at it than previou…

"Scepticism about what you read is advisable everywhere [unsolicited advice], internet users have become better at it than previous generations.[opinion stated as if fact]"

https://ed.stanford.edu/news/stanford-researchers-find-stude...

https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/stude...

https://www.chronicle.com/article/students-fall-for-misinfor...

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