Reader Question: How can I become a better writer?
A reader wants to know how to improve their writing.
This is part of my Reasons for Hope series, which I publish intermittently on Saturdays. This is an apolitical series—a sort of palate-cleansing break from the relentless din of horror. In this series, I often talk about life as a writer. You can find all of my articles about writer life here.
In a recent AMA session, I got this question from a reader:
You’re effective, concise, and powerful in your written communication. Is this because of a specific way of thinking, lots of writing, or both, or something else entirely? And what steps do you suggest for anyone who wants to improve their effectiveness with written communication? Should we take a philosophy class, or an English class, or what?
My answer:
I landed my first paid writing gig when I was 10. That was 30 years ago. When I tell people this story, they assume I was a preternaturally gifted writer from the start, but the truth is that I was merely persistent and a bit annoying. I convinced the editor of a tiny local paper to give me a chance, and my career as a writer was born.
I’ve had 30 years of nonstop practice—and as someone who was getting paid for my work, 30 years of editors fixing my screw-ups.
Writing professionally offers an additional benefit, too: You have to do it. Even if you don’t feel like it. Sometimes the stuff I produce is forced, flows less easily, feels less natural. But I always produce something, because it is my job, and I have to. Thus I’ve had tons of practice writing in a variety of moods and circumstances.
Writing is a skill. No one is born with the ability to write, let alone write well. And while some of us may have a bit of a knack for it, no one can become a truly great writer without lots of practice.
Practice makes you good. In writing, and in every other domain of life. It is the single most important factor predicting quality writing—not education, not skill, not being a big-name journalist.
Keep writing. Keep editing. You’ll get better.
What are some other ways to get better?
Know what you want to say
Ninety percent of what I read, especially from men, reads like they just threw a bunch of random words on the page for no discernible reason. You should be able to distill your point to a few simple declarative sentences. If you can’t, then you don’t yet know enough about the topic to write about it.
Good writing hinges on something to say. Which seems obvious until you actually start reading what people write.
Use fewer words
Words communicate ideas. They’re not there as decoration, or to prove how smart you are, or to demonstrate your good vocabulary. They’re there solely for the benefit of your reader.
Most of us learned the opposite lesson in middle school, when we were forced to cram our work full of unnecessary words to meet arbitrary word count guidelines.
Using too many words obscures your meaning, and can even render your work altogether devoid of meaning. You can add a little color and decoration, but too much is just that: too much. Simple sentences are almost always best.
Consider the purpose of each sentence
This is really just an extension of the above rule, and therefore perhaps a violation of it.
Every sentence in your work should have a very specific purpose. Sometimes it’s to jar the reader awake after a long paragraph. Maybe a sentence contributes to the cadence of the work. Most sentences, though, should be directly related to your point. Ideally each paragraph is tightly focused on a single idea, with each sentence supporting the main idea.
Cultivate empathy
Good writing, whether you’re a journalist or a novelist, is an act of radical empathy. Your goal is not to just insert your words into the zeitgeist. It’s to reach your reader the way only you can. That requires you to understand what they think, and guide them toward something else.
Writing is inherently an act of emotional intelligence, not ego.
Write about something that matters to you
I spent most of my pre-feminism writing career as a mental health and science journalist. But I also dabbled in some business and money writing here and there to pad my budget. The contrast in quality between the two genres is striking. My business writing was never technically bad. When writing about science, though, my passion came through in every sentence. I liked what I was doing. I cared about it. I had a lot of knowledge, and something substantive to say.
You should never write for writing’s sake. That’s a recipe for excessive wordiness and not much else.
Write because you have something to say. You do. Everyone does. Say it in your voice, and say it over and over as you get better and better.
I didn't know you had a whole series on this. I look forward to going through all of those that you linked. I've mentioned before (in the group) how I would like to write better. As always, such a pleasure to know of you and be a small part of your life in this internet based world 🩷
I cannot wait to use “writing is an act of emotional intelligence- not ego” when I am editing the work of my business unit. I work with 7 men and it’s 24/7 word salad. I am the only one who can seem to keep the reader and the objective we are trying to communicate in mind when we develop work. It’s infuriating.
So many good tips Zawn!