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How to Make Writing a Lot Easier

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Re: How to Make Writing a Lot Easier

#21

Post by dazc »

fumblebee wrote: post #19
kleiba wrote: post #12

Here's a question about possible cultural differences: I notice that a good number of blog posts I come across these days, that are actually about a technical topic, either start with or prominently feature the authors feelings toward the topic. This post is a great example for what I mean, it starts with "I love writing. Every little goddamn bit of it." I'm personally really turned off by that particular writing sty…

This is how I feel about most meal recipes I encounter on the internet. The writer's backstory for the recipe is so inconsequential to my wanting that specific set of instructions. Yet there it is, every time.

With so many similar recipes to compete with, they need to up the word count for SEO reasons. I'm sure the writer finds it as tedious as you do.

Re: How to Make Writing a Lot Easier

#22

Post by nathias »

BiteCode_dev wrote: post #18

I really never understood writer's block. I can write 10000 words on the spot on any random word picked out of the dictionary. Even a one I don't know at all. Friends loved to test me on this, picking up some BS topic and see if I can come up with a scenario or a song. Then after a few minutes of my rambling they get bored of course. Having something to say doesn't mean it's interesting. My problem is rather to learn…

Writer's block doesn't mean you can't write random words, it means you can't write something in a way to properly continoue your work.

Re: How to Make Writing a Lot Easier

#23

Post by kleiba »

fumblebee wrote: post #19
kleiba wrote: post #12

Here's a question about possible cultural differences: I notice that a good number of blog posts I come across these days, that are actually about a technical topic, either start with or prominently feature the authors feelings toward the topic. This post is a great example for what I mean, it starts with "I love writing. Every little goddamn bit of it." I'm personally really turned off by that particular writing sty…

This is how I feel about most meal recipes I encounter on the internet. The writer's backstory for the recipe is so inconsequential to my wanting that specific set of instructions. Yet there it is, every time.

Seconded, especially when looking for a recipe on a tablet where I have to scroll endlessly to the bottom of the page to finally see the effing recipe.

Re: How to Make Writing a Lot Easier

#24

Post by hdjjhhvvhga »

kleiba wrote: post #17
hdjjhhvvhga wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many people feel compelled to write in this way. They think that if they don't make it personal, the reader will get bored. It has to include some story you could relate to. A good example is Avi Loeb's Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth - for the first half of the book you can only wonder when the author stops talking about himself. Sometimes, although rarely, this makes perfect sense,…

So, are you saying this is just a natural inclination in some authors? If so, it makes you wonder if most people actually _do_ want to see such a personal touch in what they read -- no matter what the topic is. Perhaps it's just me then who can't stand it, at least not when it's completely orthogonal to the topic at hand.

No, I hate it too, it just reduces the signal-to-noise ratio. Sometimes a short story is perfectly fine in order to introduce a complex concept and then get to the point, that's all.

Re: How to Make Writing a Lot Easier

#25

Post by newsbinator »

kleiba wrote: post #12

Here's a question about possible cultural differences: I notice that a good number of blog posts I come across these days, that are actually about a technical topic, either start with or prominently feature the authors feelings toward the topic. This post is a great example for what I mean, it starts with "I love writing. Every little goddamn bit of it." I'm personally really turned off by that particular writing sty…

My reaction is the same. I wonder if people write this way because most of the writing they've ever done has been prompted by teachers who ask them how they feel on a topic, or they're used to writing in a personal journal/diary, putting their impressions/feelings at the forefront.

Re: How to Make Writing a Lot Easier

#26

Post by leonth »

kleiba wrote: post #12

Here's a question about possible cultural differences: I notice that a good number of blog posts I come across these days, that are actually about a technical topic, either start with or prominently feature the authors feelings toward the topic. This post is a great example for what I mean, it starts with "I love writing. Every little goddamn bit of it." I'm personally really turned off by that particular writing sty…

I would say it is not about writing style but more about the personality of the author. According to MBTI for example, people are either Thinking (T) or Feeling (F), and I would imagine that strongly Feeling people focus much more on emotions (as compared to Thinking people) when expressing anything - be it talking, writing, etc. To them, the expression of emotion towards a particular subject is as important, if not more, than the objective value / knowledge / information imparted.

I can also hazard a guess that there are more Thinking people lurking in HN vs Feeling people, thus the general repulsion towards that style of writing.

Re: How to Make Writing a Lot Easier

#27

Post by arp242 »

BiteCode_dev wrote: post #18

I really never understood writer's block. I can write 10000 words on the spot on any random word picked out of the dictionary. Even a one I don't know at all. Friends loved to test me on this, picking up some BS topic and see if I can come up with a scenario or a song. Then after a few minutes of my rambling they get bored of course. Having something to say doesn't mean it's interesting. My problem is rather to learn…

Purely writing usually isn't that hard. Writing what you want you want to say can be much harder, and conveying these things effectively doubly so.

Anyone can play guitar too. Making music is harder. Making music express your feelings harder still.

Re: How to Make Writing a Lot Easier

#29

Post by arp242 »

Helmut10001 wrote: post #4
glanzwulf wrote: post #2

A few years back I did an internship at a gaming magazine and one of the editors gave me a great tip to make writing a lot easier: "Just start writing. Write whatever you want but write and write and keep writing. Eventually what you want will appear on the page and you'll edit out the random blabbering". Made a huge difference for me because my problem was the initial blank page.

Writing is hard, no matter how you frame it. There a native English speakers who may have an advantage because they can produce clever phrasing more easily. But I found that actual content (e.g. having to say something that matters) always beats clever phrasing, albeit you need a bit of both. As a non-native English speaker, I usually require about 8 months straight (4hrs/day) to produce a full paper with ~8000 words…

Sometimes I feel that (proficient) non-native speakers are actually better because they tend to describe things plainly, directly, and clearly, without trying to be all clever about it.

Even in technical (non-fiction) writing there are different styles, and when in doubt it should really be clarity that wins. Especially in documentation and such.

I do notice that in my native language it's a bit easier to make a serious point while also writing in a somewhat entertaining style, but that's really just extra fluff. Like you say, at the end of the day people don't read what you have to say for your style, but for your content.

> It is also critical that I accept not keeping parts for just an end in itself (e.g. not throwing away text that took time to produce): If it does not support the main message of the paper, it gets removed eventually.

I copy/paste these things to a draft document for some future usage, where it's more appropriate. This way you're not "throwing it away" but just "re-organizing it".

Re: How to Make Writing a Lot Easier

#30

Post by black_puppydog »

dazc wrote: post #21
fumblebee wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is how I feel about most meal recipes I encounter on the internet. The writer's backstory for the recipe is so inconsequential to my wanting that specific set of instructions. Yet there it is, every time.

With so many similar recipes to compete with, they need to up the word count for SEO reasons. I'm sure the writer finds it as tedious as you do.

Time to burn the web then, if finding what are in essence text documents is so broken as a system... :|
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