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I have been using hacker news comments to improve my writing and I get instant feedback. After awhile I had ideas that were big enough to write blog posts. From
by zitterbewegung 9y ago
I have been using hacker news comments to improve my writing and I get instant feedback. After awhile I had ideas that were big enough to write blog posts. From my experience in writing poetry is you must keep writing to really get good . Another thing is that about 10% or less of what you write is going to be any good. And 1% is going to be acceptable. Life isn't like college where your performance is judged on each piece of writing. Your job is to maximize that 1% so you just have to keep writing so you have enough exceptional pieces of writing and then you will be a better writer .
- ams6110 9y agoI don't think most upvotes or commentary here are driven by quality of writing. For one, it's a given that there are many non-native English speakers on this forum, and in general critiquing grammar or style is discouraged.
- theparanoid 9y agoPeople upvote persuasive writing. Which matters, to me, as a writer.
- notum 9y agoPeople upvote popular opinions. Say something volatile that creates any sort of friction against the HN hive mind and it will be downvoted, regardless of how intelligent and true.
- d33 9y ago...which sounds like a great training field for persuasive writing ;)
- notum 9y agoAnd word games. Any voting outcome on my previous comment reflects as as "meta" and well thought out. As long as keep my mouth shut. Damn it.
- big_spammer 9y agoTrue. It's probably a sign of good writing if you can elicit such a response. "The test of a first rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function." F. Scott Fitzgerald.