Some Writing Advice: Don’t Take Others’ Advice

> "They can help you to turn really bad prose into serviceable prose,"

Which is very often exactly what people are after! People who aren't deluding themselves don't think they're going to win any Pulitzers, they just want a marginal improvement as a courtesy to others who will have to read it. If a style guide can elevate their writing to mundane levels, then it has done it's job.

I think "don't take other's advice" is just good advice in general, or at the very least "be skeptical of other's advice". I work in academic science where a lot of people of varying career stages are squished together in close proximity, and I encounter many situations where inexperienced and not that successful people are way too willing to shower even less experienced people with advice on how to live/do things. This seems to be the most common with graduate students talking to slightly newer graduate students. It's self-affirming for most people to give instructions and feel like they are being listened to, and I too often see this impulse outweighing the idea of the advice actually being useful.

For me personally, two things that determine if somebody is in a position to give me advice are:

1)Are they enjoying a level of success that I would like to achieve? 2)Is the environment in which they achieved success comparable to my own?

It shifts the focus from the outcome to the action that a specific individual took.

Which, as you suggest, may or may not be what you want.

"Mistakes were made" types of construction are widely (and properly) mocked in many cases because they're viewed as evading responsibility. However, there are cases--such as having a post mortem of some sort--where you really do want to focus on what happened and how it could have been prevented rather "Joe kicked the power cord out."

Here was my stream of consciousness take on how to be a better writer, that became a popular Quora answer awhile ago:

1. Read, read, read, read, read, read. Everyone else said this also because it's true. But not just anything, read various styles of writing, and create a basic taxonomy of styles of writing that you can refer to mentally, in a mindset that's more like concentrated practice than just breezy reading. Pay attention to structure, tone, form, use of (or wilful disregard for) grammar, and cadences, etc.

2. Learn how to break down basic sentence structure. Know what a gerund phrase and subordinate clause are, or a sentence splice. You can ignore the "rules" but you need to know them.

3. Clarification to #2 that's the most important: identify instinctively the subject, verb, and object of your sentences. Every sentence has 'em, at least subject and verb. This isn't a firm rule but there's an excellent chance that your sentence's perceived meaning hinges on them, no matter how complicated. That last sentence by the way was "there" "is" and "chance" mind you, not the thing that looks like a sentence and follows the word "that." Now that you know what they are exploit them. Chances are there's a better verb than variations on "to be" like "is" "was" "has been" to be had, for one example.

4. Write. But don't just write whatever comes to mind (though you should do that too): write to form. Now that you're being observant of how certain styles are structured and their conventions you can try for yourself. Attempt to mimic the way certain kinds of prose are written.

Here are a few examples of the same thing in various styles picked at random:

"Triangle" - straight news format aka New York Times or AP style

> Wilson Phillips, an internet user from Skokie, Illinois, visited the popular online site Quora today in an attempt to learn how to write. In a visit Mr. Phillips described as "disturbing," site contributors were alleged to have committed several acts of hostility, including accusations he was an disgruntled former employee of Myspace, a claim Mr. Phillips denies.

"Time Magazine" - famous backwards construction used in features

> The clicks on the keyboard started out even, but soon picked up in speed. As comments were added, tempers flared. A voice rang out. "They should be so lucky as to work for Rupert!" it said, as minutes became hours. Broad daylight gave way to a dim monitor glow, and a grim realization took hold. It was almost midnight, and Wilson's secret was out.

"Gawker" - ie snarky news/blog style

> It looks like Wilson won't be getting off this island any time soon. Sources tell us the ex social-ite had a run in with the valley mafia late last night on Quora, which is quickly turning from a minor Mike Arrington masturbatory obsession into a digital mob.

"Gonzo" - Hunter S. Thompson, the master

> They're a vile bunch, mean on a good day and as vicious as a badger when cornered. And to them Wilson was prey. A life and reputation torn into meat and bone, the bastard never had a chance. Of course for predators that's the price of a meal, and he wasn't even the first that day.

The details matter. Ask most people to write the first sentence of a story about a run of the mill news event like a house fire and they'll probably do something like "A house on Main Street burned down today" when in real life those stories usually come at the news sideways. For example: "Broken windows and car alarms were among the unpleasant sights this morning at the site of a residential blaze that claimed three downtown homes".

And so on... you get the point. And that's just journalism; do the same with modern fiction, magical realism, classic literature, your favorite writers, etc. Once you can separate style from subject you have a set of tools that can evoke a mood. Like a musician practices ear training to identify pitch or major from minor keys you should know the mechanics that underpin a certain feel or tone, and use them, even when you forget you're using any style and just have your own voice.

Depends on the advice. I'll definitely listen to advice from my wife on how to handle certain social situations because she is pretty good at giving advice to navigate social psychological situations.