Writing Tips

Last updated: 2020-08-05

I may not practice what I preach, but here are my condensed notes to remind myself how to write. A checklist, if you will. Hopefully it proves useful. Without further ado:

• Outline what you have to say.
• Omit needless words. Be concise. Economize.
• Consider your audience. Have something worth saying. Write with a purpose.
• Be specific. Prioritize action verbs over adverbs and descriptive nouns over adjectives.
• Show, don’t tell. Involve the senses.
• State your objecetive upfront, don’t make the reader dig for it.
• Write what you’d like to read yourself. Writing is a dialogue, not a checkbox.

If you’re stuck…

• Define words specific to your topic. This is especially important if there’s no consensus on what the terms mean.
  • Let’s say you’re writing about “Artificial Intelligence”. Do people even agree what it means?¹ In your own words, write down your definition. Then consider, what do I have to add to this discussion?
• Have a way to jot down and capture ideas that occur sporadically throughout the day.
  • For me, that’s editing markdown files with Sublime Text. Or if I’m on the road, I use Google Keep on my phone².
• Most importantly, you just have to do it.
  • Exercise your writing muscles. You ain’t gonna get buff by reading biophysics. Just hit the gym³. Just do it.