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This is some amazing writing. I couldn't care less about what kind of keyboard I use, but I kept reading and reading because this was just so easy to read. Can
by Void_ 10y ago
This is some amazing writing. I couldn't care less about what kind of keyboard I use, but I kept reading and reading because this was just so easy to read.
Can anybody explain why what made this such a good read? Or point me in a direction where I can improve my own writing?
- 21 10y agoMaybe the fact that he has written "4 books and 10 million bloggy words" helped?
- Void_ 10y agoI'm looking for language tools to use. Using both long and short sentences is one of them. Notice he's using that a bunch. I also noticed every pragraph has a key idea which is expressed in the first sentence. (Or right after a short "filling" sentence). There's also repetition of same short sentence. That's a tool Trump uses a lot in his speeches. Author uses it only once. I'm looking for more tools like these that I can't see.
- criddell 10y agoI agree completely - his writing is a joy to read. At the bottom of the article it says he "writes about sports, particularly baseball". Baseball, more than other sports, seems to generate great writing. I don't know if there's something writerly about the sport itself or if it's just a coincidence, but there seems to be a correlation.
- geophile 10y agoIt has to. It would be intolerably dull otherwise.
- notjustanymike 10y agoLike EVE Online.
- todd8 10y agoI like the font (I think it's Palanquin) and I like the line spacing and I like the line width--its just very easy to read, but most of all I like the writing.
- SquareWheel 10y agoI guess I'll be the contrarian today, but honestly I found his writing to be needlessly long and meandering. I felt I already knew what he was going to say (based on the title alone), but it took dozens of paragraphs to get to the meat of it. The history with previous Apple devices didn't seem all that necessary to get to the real point at the end. Maybe I'm just more impatient as a reader?
- jccalhoun 10y agoI'm with you. when the title is "my mechanical keyboard" all I want to know is "what keyboard is it?" If the article is about "why I switched to a mechanical keyboard" or "How I came to use a mechanical keyboard" then call it that. It will be an accurate description of what the title is about and the reader will know what to expect.
- somestag 10y agoIt's totally fine to have a different opinion. When you went into the article, you expected to read something about the author's mechanical keyboard. The article was instead about technology that diverged from the author's tastes. Even I—someone who really liked the style—found myself wondering halfway through when the mechanical keyboard would come into play. It was only relevant for a couple paragraphs at the end, despite being the title of the piece. Title considerations aside, I'd say the lead-up was more important than the conclusion. The article could be summed up in a single idea: Apple's keyboards are less enjoyable to type on than mechanical keyboards. However, the article isn't really about the superiority of mechanical keyboards; it's about how a loyalist can gradually become disillusioned with the decisions a company makes. Although Apple is ostensibly headed in the same direction as it was a decade ago, not everyone appreciates the trend of its technology. The issue is subtle, as each customer will have a different preferred feature mix. The meandering is important because it makes up the essence of the author's story.
- gf263 10y agoYou might be interested in "On Writing Well" (https://smile.amazon.com/Writing-Well-Classic-Guide-Nonfiction/dp/0060891548/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477840923&sr=8-1&keywords=on+writing+well https://smile.amazon.com/Writing-Well-Classic-Guide-Nonficti...) The author explains why we get drawn into good writing about topics we don't care about. Has some great examples in it too.
- Void_ 10y agoThanks, ordered!