The Most Important Writing Lesson I Ever Learned • Hacker News Board

Re: The Most Important Writing Lesson I Ever Learned

#51

Post by mkramlich » Wed, Sep 30, 2009, 1:29 AM UTC

edw519 wrote: post #24

codemonkey wrote: post #5

My project advisor once gave me a piece of advice that changed everything I've written since for the better. After apologizing for the forthcoming crudeness, she passed on this gem: You're writing "Mary was fucked by John." You /should/ be writing "John fucked Mary." I can say what I need to say in half the words now.

You're writing "Mary was fucked by John." You /should/ be writing "John fucked Mary." I can say what I need to say in half the words now. 60%

.6

(concise by one more character, unlike this footnote)

Re: The Most Important Writing Lesson I Ever Learned

#52

Post by maxwin » Wed, Sep 30, 2009, 1:34 AM UTC

RiderOfGiraffes wrote: post #6

maxwin wrote: post #3

Geez! Just get another account and have your old email account forward emails to you.

If that's a reply to me, I'm not sure I understand you. The page does not render in a readable fashion in my (only slightly) elderly browser. I'm not sure what that has to do with email. Have I missed your point? Could you expand on it a little? Thanks.

Somehow my reply to a post about gmail gets here. I am not sure why

Re: The Most Important Writing Lesson I Ever Learned

#53

Post by dhimes » Wed, Sep 30, 2009, 1:53 AM UTC

doty wrote: post #50

dhimes wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

data shows murder causes death Are you making the claim that the word "data" is singular? It's not. And when you use a collective noun, you use the singular form (datum, in this case). Along this line, though, what does sound jarring to me is the recent trend among the tech lit (and maybe others) to use company names as plural, as in, "Microsoft are keeping quiet about their new product." This is totally non-standard…

To pile on the pedantry: "data" is one of those words that can be used in either a singular or plural construction. The OED has references going as far back as this one, from 1807: W. IRVING Salmag. xviii. 366 My grandfather..took a data from his own excellent heart. (Further proof that English is not Latin.)

I agree that it's a tough game to standardize usage, especially when different "experts" don't agree (I would guess that you could find writing by other authors circa 1807 that used "data" as a plural). Currently, you find the use of "gender" confused with the use of "sex." Over time "gender" will probably come be used generally for male/female, and sex for reproductive references. But the first such uses were non-standard.

Perhaps it's best to leave it at, "know your audience."

Re: The Most Important Writing Lesson I Ever Learned

#54

Post by crux_ » Wed, Sep 30, 2009, 2:52 AM UTC

Perceval wrote: post #31

crux_ wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good as well: Politics & The English Language. ( http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/orwell46.htm )

As someone mired in academia, I absolutely love that piece by Orwell. It's a good reminder that the writing I'm surrounded by isn't the type of writing I should emulate. I keep a folder in my bookmarks of writing tips that I think are insightful. Here are a few: * Elmore Leonard: http://www.kabedford.com/archives/000013.html * Kurt Vonnegut: http://www.peterstekel.com/PDF-HTML/Kurt%20Vonnegut%20advice... * E.A. Poe:…

Dare I point out the staleness of imagery in your first sentence ("mired in academia") or the passive phasing of your second? ;)

Seriously, though: good bookmarks.

Re: The Most Important Writing Lesson I Ever Learned

#55

Post by tomjen2 » Wed, Sep 30, 2009, 6:17 AM UTC

edw519 wrote: post #9

Hacker's Corollary: "The Most Important Programming Lesson I Ever Learned" Nobody wants to run your shit. Make it simple. Make it easy. Make it fun (to the extent that you can). Make it intuitive. Make it do exactly what needs to be done. Your user is too busy for anything else.

Please don't make it intuitive, I know everybody says it should be but that assumes that all software is made to please the casual user. The best software is made to please the expert user, and makes them many times more powerful that the average user.

Re: The Most Important Writing Lesson I Ever Learned

#56

Post by quizbiz » Wed, Sep 30, 2009, 6:19 AM UTC

tomjen2 wrote: post #55

edw519 wrote: post #9

Hacker's Corollary: "The Most Important Programming Lesson I Ever Learned" Nobody wants to run your shit. Make it simple. Make it easy. Make it fun (to the extent that you can). Make it intuitive. Make it do exactly what needs to be done. Your user is too busy for anything else.

Please don't make it intuitive, I know everybody says it should be but that assumes that all software is made to please the casual user. The best software is made to please the expert user, and makes them many times more powerful that the average user.

Why can't powerful features be done in an intuitive fashion? Smart UI design will allow for that. The more typical argument is one of simplicity versus functionality. But if you choose functionality, why not put in the effort to make the features as easy to use as possible?

Re: The Most Important Writing Lesson I Ever Learned

#57

Post by emilis_info » Wed, Sep 30, 2009, 7:43 AM UTC

I think, this is really the most important writing lesson:

Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox for October 1, 1997: How Users Read on the Web http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9710a.html

Re: The Most Important Writing Lesson I Ever Learned

#58

Post by flooha » Wed, Sep 30, 2009, 11:08 AM UTC

tomjen2 wrote: post #55

edw519 wrote: post #9

Hacker's Corollary: "The Most Important Programming Lesson I Ever Learned" Nobody wants to run your shit. Make it simple. Make it easy. Make it fun (to the extent that you can). Make it intuitive. Make it do exactly what needs to be done. Your user is too busy for anything else.

Please don't make it intuitive, I know everybody says it should be but that assumes that all software is made to please the casual user. The best software is made to please the expert user, and makes them many times more powerful that the average user.

I'm not a UI expert and definitely need to improve things with my site, but I've found that most non-tech users can't be bothered to do much of anything that requires a little thought. If you're not spoon feeding it to them, they don't want it. This is why drag and drop website creation is so successful.

Re: The Most Important Writing Lesson I Ever Learned

#59

Post by electromagnetic » Wed, Sep 30, 2009, 11:41 AM UTC

jacquesm wrote: post #35

electromagnetic wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Elements of Style (which I personally dislike) isn't written for professional writers, it's written for non-professionals. In today's culture people are barely capable of writing a sentence without losing half the vowels along the way, and god forbid you're American because you already lost half your U's before you were even born. Forget about adequate grammar, or even half-decent spelling. White is a professiona…

> and god forbid you're American because you already lost half your U's before you were even born. My spell checker thinks that every time I write colour, endeavour, or glamour that I've made some grave error. I really can't stand that, it doesn't allow me to change the preferences to English (which I was taught in school) or American English. Btw, any piece about spelling contains at least one spelling error, yours…

> Btw, any piece about spelling contains at least one spelling error, yours is no exception ;)

I know! It's the irony of the world. No matter what, when you complain about a general lack of spelling there is always a spelling mistake, but you won't notice it until 5 hours later. It's like there's a frigging anti-spelling Nazi out there who hijacks your post just to screw with you.

God damn gremlins always plaguing English people :(

Re: The Most Important Writing Lesson I Ever Learned

#60

Post by wallflower » Wed, Sep 30, 2009, 2:04 PM UTC

modoc wrote: post #30

Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott is an amazing book about writing. It's funny, very helpful, inspiring, etc... http://www.amazon.com/Bird-Some-Instructions-Writing-Life/dp...

Repost but Elizabeth Gilbert wrote the best treatise on writing (and by extension, creative expression) I think I've ever read. Here are some excerpts - I believe its worthwile reading the entire essay many times:

"I often hear people say, 'I’m not good enough yet to be published.' That’s quite possible. Probable, even. All I’m saying is: Let someone else decide that. Magazines, editors, agents. They all employ young people making $22,000 a year whose job it is to read through piles of manuscripts and send you back letters telling you that you aren’t good enough yet: LET THEM DO IT. Don’t pre-reject yourself. That’s their job, not yours. Your job is only to write your heart out, and let destiny take care of the rest."

"There are heaps of books out there on How To Get Published. Often people find the information in these books contradictory. My feeling is -- of COURSE the information is contradictory. Because, frankly, nobody knows anything. Nobody can tell you how to succeed at writing (even if they write a book called 'How To Succeed At Writing') because there is no WAY; there are, instead, many ways. Everyone I know who managed to become a writer did it differently. sometimes radically differently. "

http://www.elizabethgilbert.com/writing.htm