Everyone has important things to say, regardless of what paths they take in life, and so everyone can benefit from becoming better writers. Here are some great writing tips from successful entrepreneur and writer Paul Graham:
- write a bad version 1 as fast as you can;
- rewrite it over and over;
- cut everything unnecessary;
- write in a conversational tone;
- develop a nose for bad writing, so you can see and fix it in yours;
- imitate writers you like;
- if you can't get started, tell someone what you plan to write about, then write down what you said;
- expect 80% of the ideas in an essay to happen after you start writing it, and 50% of those you start with to be wrong;
- have friends you trust read your stuff and tell you which bits are confusing or drag;
- don't (always) make detailed outlines;
- mull ideas over for a few days before writing;
- carry a small notebook or scrap paper with you;
- start writing when you think of the first sentence;
- write about stuff you like;
- don't try to sound impressive;
- don't hesitate to change the topic on the fly;
- use footnotes to contain digressions;
- use anaphora to knit sentences together;
- read your essays out loud to see (a) where you stumble over awkward phrases and (b) which bits are boring (the paragraphs you dread reading);
- try to tell the reader something new and useful;
- work in fairly big quanta of time;
- when you restart, begin by rereading what you have so far;
- when you finish, leave yourself something easy to start with;
- accumulate notes for topics you plan to cover at the bottom of the file, but don't feel obliged to cover any of them;
- write for a reader who won't read the essay as carefully as you do;
- ask friends which sentence you'll regret most;
- go back and tone down harsh remarks;
- publish stuff online, because an audience makes you write more, and thus generate more ideas;
- print out drafts instead of just looking at them on the screen;
- use simple, germanic words;
- learn to distinguish surprises from digressions;
- learn to recognize the approach of an ending, and when one appears, grab it.