Whether you're writing a report, a letter, or a presentation, ask yourself: - Who's the audience? - What are they looking for? - How much detail do they want or need? - How will the information I have help them in going forward? - How much background information do they need? - Is anyone likely to be hostile toward what I have to say? - Are they familiar with industry jargons? - What kinds of examples and analogies will be most helpful to them? Which ad would catch your attention? "Loaded with fiber and vitamins" or "will lower your blood pressure, cholesterol level, and help prevent a stroke"? Don't just tell people the benefits - show them how it will benefit their lives. BAD: "This car has antilock brakes and passenger-side airbag." GOOD: "This car will save your life." BAD: "We will prepare your taxes and send them to you, ready to sign." GOOD: "Our customer's tax refunds are 25% higher than the average." BAD: "You will be working on a cross-departmental team." GOOD: "You'll be increasing your visibility in the company and working with people who can jump-start your career." BAD: "This speaker specializes in leadership." GOOD: "The last guy who hired this speaker said, 'He made me look like a hero and inspired my people to raise our profits by 80%.'" MAKE SURE EVERYONE HAS THE MAP As if you're driving to the same destination in different cars, if everyone has the map, you don't need to wait for the slowest one. The it doesn't matter if you get separated, you all end up in the same destination. GOOD ENOUGH Don't let unhealthy perfectionism keep you from cutting to the chase. Know when to let things go. Will anyone but me appreciate my efforts? Can I significantly improve this if I keep working? Does the possible gain in quality outweigh the lost time? Use conventions so people don't have to think for even a millisecond. Aim for self-evident first. If that fails, self-explanatory should be 2nd best. Try to not need to explain at all. Omit needless words. Avoid happy-talk and instructions. # Writing and Communication * Always double check your texts via grammer checking tool before sending important communication. * Always double check the message you are answering to, before making conclusions or reacting in a hurry. * Always double check the spelling of the name of whoever you discuss with before mentioning them so you don't offend them. * Always re-read everything you're about to send * Don't misinterpret other's emotions and feelings based on your own mood * Stay factual don't jump to conclusions * Double check your sources. Mention your references when quoting a number or text or reusing some idea / work / conclusion. * Keep it simple. You can't cut to the chase unless you know to whom you are talking. Never post anything while angry You can tell you're angry if you believe you MUST tell a complete stranger on a public forum something immediately - you have no control of otherz' opinions, or the narrative to write a book that people enjoy, aim for 178 pages - that number seems to be the amount that makes people recreationally love a book NOTE: WILL NEED TO SEPARATE OUT CHUNKS OF FICTION AND TECHNICAL WRITING ON AL WRITING TO NOTAGENIUS! - make a NAG page on "how to write stories" [Write for others but mostly for yourself (2022) | Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39700072) [Write for others but mostly for yourself - Jack Vanlightly](https://jack-vanlightly.com/blog/2022/1/25/write-for-others-but-mostly-for-yourself) [What I think about when I edit (2019) | Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39950760) [What I think about when I edit - Eva Parish](https://evaparish.com/blog/how-i-edit) [How to write stuff no one else can | Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39319649) [How To Write Stuff No One Else Can - The Write to Roam](https://thewritetoroam.com/2024/02/how-to-write-stuff-no-one-else-can) [The Best Essay | Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39662615) [The Best Essay](https://paulgraham.com/best.html) [How to think in writing | Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40892298) [How to think in writing - by Henrik Karlsson](https://www.henrikkarlsson.xyz/p/writing-to-think) [Anthony Panozzo](http://www.panozzaj.com/blog/2016/04/03/how-to-actually-publish-more-things/) (2016) How to Actually Publish More Things [Katie McKenna](https://www.portent.com/blog/copywriting/better-content-5-lessons-learned-from-yoga-teacher-training.htm) (2017) Be a Better Writer: 5 Lessons Learned From Yoga Teacher Training [Julia Evans](https://jvns.ca/blog/2017/03/20/blogging-principles/) (2017) Blogging principles [Giles Turnbull](https://gilest.org/2021/how-to-write-like-you-speak/) (2021) How to write like you speak [Mike Crittenden](https://critter.blog/2020/10/02/write-5x-more-but-write-5x-less/) (2020) Write 5x more but write 5x less [Anni Bond](https://opensource.com/article/17/9/adopting-minimalism-your-docs) Adopting minimalism in your docs [Steph Smith](https://blog.stephsmith.io/learning-to-write-with-confidence/) (2019) Writing is Thinking: Learning to Write with Confidence [Jeffrey Paul](https://sneak.berlin/20190521/writing-is-hard-for-me/) (2019) Writing Is Hard For Me [Amruta Ranade](https://amrutaranade.com/2018/03/07/my-writing-process/) (2018) My Writing Process [Jeff Goins](https://goinswriter.com/how-to-write-a-book/) (2014) How to Write a Book: The 5-Draft Method [Jeff Goins](https://goinswriter.com/tips-writing-book/) (2012) 10 Ridiculously Simple Steps for Writing a Book [Steve Yegge](https://sites.google.com/site/steveyegge2/you-should-write-blogs) You Should Write Blogs [Prefer the British Style of Quotation Mark Punctuation over the American | Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28536672) [The American Style of Quotation Mark Punctuation Makes No Sense](https://www.erichgrunewald.com/posts/the-american-style-of-quotation-mark-punctuation-makes-no-sense/) ## tech writing [Scott W. Ambler](http://www.ambysoft.com/books/bookWriting.html) (2006) How to Write a Technical Book [Ada Nduka Oyom](https://dev.to/kolokodess/on-becoming-a-technical-writer-318e) (2018) On Becoming a Technical Writer [netiquette guidelines](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1855) [netiquette guidelines](https://web.archive.org/web/20210102182957/https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1855) netiquette guidelines set out in 1995 ## fiction writing [Advice for Animation Writers by Spencer Rothbell](https://www.srothbell.com/blog/2020/6/24/advice-for-animation-writers) Free - Article written by Spencer Rothbell https://www.srothbell.com/ [Pixar in a Box: The Art of Storytelling](https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/pixar/storytelling#we-are-all-storytellers) Free - Khan Academy - Pixar's storytelling workshop [Free-To-Use Storyboard Scripts](https://birnbaumcc.gumroad.com/) Free - Excellent range of free scripts for boarding by Courtney Birnbaum https://twitter.com/HarmonicaCave [SimplyScripts](https://www.simplyscripts.com/) Free - Free library of screenplays to read and reference. [Writing Action Scenes](http://kfmonkey.blogspot.com/2005/12/writing-action-scenes.html?m=1) Free - Great short article about writing compelling action sequences. [Script Slug](https://www.scriptslug.com/) Browse hundreds of screenplays. NOTE: PUBLISHING ON AL WRITING WILL GO INTO THE NAG ART SUMMARIZED DOMAIN