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How to Make Writing a Lot Easier

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Re: How to Make Writing a Lot Easier

#51

Post by BiteCode_dev »

dazc wrote: post #20
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…

Maybe you are extremely talented but don't realise it?

My father was like that, it's more of a "monkey see, monkey do" type of thing.

Re: How to Make Writing a Lot Easier

#52

Post by rav3ndust »

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.

You might like https://based.cooking. It aims to fix this very issue.

Re: How to Make Writing a Lot Easier

#53

Post by AlwaysRock »

libertine wrote: post #10
wombatmobile wrote: post #3

Writing is easy. Writing legible, interesting, persuasive, succinct, informative, insightful, lucid, precise or revealing copy is more difficult.

>Writing is easy. Try writing about yourself, or some past experience and try to make it as engaging as it was for you - like a writing about a job you had in the past. I don't find it easy.

To reiterate what the comment above you was saying...

Putting words on paper is easy. Putting "good" words on paper is hard or editing the words you put on paper so they are "good" is hard. Use whatever definition of "good" that you would like.

Re: How to Make Writing a Lot Easier

#54

Post by aazaa »

> It’s a lot of writing to do in any given week, but I don’t care. I want to write it all. I write all day to work, and then I think about writing all night to relax. In the late afternoon and evening, I am constantly, to paraphrase the great Walter Mosley, “percolating.”

I remember an author once saying there are two kinds of authors: those who like to write and those who like to have written. The interviewee was in the latter category.

Given that this article is about writing, here's a comment on the writing itself. It needs a rewrite. It's a good rough draft with maybe the kernel of a good idea, but in its current form is barely readable. It's stream of consciousness writing that doesn't fulfill the promise made in the title.

Or, maybe it does in fact fulfill that promise. If the goal is quantity of words - and 10,000 words a week in particular then never editing a rough draft is one strategy to get there. Just keep writing, never stopping to reconsider anything. Treat the screen you're typing on as an append-only log file. If so, well played!

There are readers who like to read and those who like to have read something. I went to this article with the intent of getting actionable advice to make writing easier. Half way through the article, this author hasn't even articulated a problem I can identify with.

Here's how to start the edit. Throw away half the words, then throw away the half that are left. Now start again.

Maybe the difference between writers who like to write and those who like to have written is that the latter take editing the mess they've created far more seriously than the former.

Re: How to Make Writing a Lot Easier

#55

Post by cainxinth »

aazaa wrote: post #54

> It’s a lot of writing to do in any given week, but I don’t care. I want to write it all. I write all day to work, and then I think about writing all night to relax. In the late afternoon and evening, I am constantly, to paraphrase the great Walter Mosley, “percolating.” I remember an author once saying there are two kinds of authors: those who like to write and those who like to have written. The interviewee was in…

> “…there are two kinds of authors: those who like to write and those who like to have written.”

I’m a writer and a runner, and that’s exactly how I feel about both. I rarely like starting, it’s sometimes pleasant but often grueling during, and I always feel a great sense of satisfaction afterwards.

Re: How to Make Writing a Lot Easier

#56

Post by LVB »

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…

One benefit of seeing so much writing like this: it encourages me to get to the f’ing point. I’ve been working on tightening my writing for a few years. It’s motivating when someone adds to their reply to your email, “BTW your note was really clear and succinct.”

Re: How to Make Writing a Lot Easier

#57

Post by bumby »

aazaa wrote: post #54

> It’s a lot of writing to do in any given week, but I don’t care. I want to write it all. I write all day to work, and then I think about writing all night to relax. In the late afternoon and evening, I am constantly, to paraphrase the great Walter Mosley, “percolating.” I remember an author once saying there are two kinds of authors: those who like to write and those who like to have written. The interviewee was in…

>there are two kinds of authors: those who like to write and those who like to have written.

I like this a lot. It succinctly points to an thought that's been at the forefront of my mind lately.

It seems to align with Daniel Kahneman's work about our two versions of our "self": an experiencing self (the writer) and the remembering self (the one who has written). As you allude, sometimes those two may not align in terms of what brings them happiness or fulfillment.

It makes me think I should be working to make sure I'm the one who optimizes for the experiencing self rather than the remembering self. Besides the fact that we spend much more time "experiencing" life than "remembering" it, the latter seems too often correlated with things outside our direct control like status etc.

Re: How to Make Writing a Lot Easier

#58

Post by BeFlatXIII »

aazaa wrote: post #54

> It’s a lot of writing to do in any given week, but I don’t care. I want to write it all. I write all day to work, and then I think about writing all night to relax. In the late afternoon and evening, I am constantly, to paraphrase the great Walter Mosley, “percolating.” I remember an author once saying there are two kinds of authors: those who like to write and those who like to have written. The interviewee was in…

Comments like yours are why I often read the HN comments before clicking through to the actual article being discussed. Thank you for saving me five+ minutes.

Re: How to Make Writing a Lot Easier

#60

Post by throwanem »

aazaa wrote: post #54

> It’s a lot of writing to do in any given week, but I don’t care. I want to write it all. I write all day to work, and then I think about writing all night to relax. In the late afternoon and evening, I am constantly, to paraphrase the great Walter Mosley, “percolating.” I remember an author once saying there are two kinds of authors: those who like to write and those who like to have written. The interviewee was in…

And what have you to show for the process you describe here? You seem very confident you've got the right idea, but without the opportunity to see the resulting work, it's impossible for anyone to tell whether you merit being taken seriously or whether instead you're just blowing air.
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