3 ms·

Ask HN: How can I get better at writing?

Writing feels like something that I might be able to enjoy, but choosing every word feels like a chore and I become frustrated because it feels like I am not expressing myself adequately. I sit down to write a blog post, but I'm just unable to coherently get my thoughts out onto the page and I find that I have difficulty stringing sentences together in a way that is engaging to the audience. Has anyone else dealt with this? How were you able to improve?

GianFabien 5y ago
Do you have the same difficulty when speaking to somebody? If not, then just talk out loud and write down what you say. Engaging writing reads like a person to person conversation. Yes, it's a bit like the rubber ducking: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging
- bostonvaulter2 5y ago
  I think I sometimes do have similar issues speaking as writing. Although it's partially that I tend to worry that people aren't interested in what I have to say so I very rarely speak for more than 30 seconds straight (outside of presentations of course).
capybara_2020 5y ago
I am also in a similar place. The things I have seen work for me. First, sign up for a Grammarly premium account. It identifies easy fixes, and you do not even have to think about punctuations. And it identifies places where your words are redundant. You start noticing patterns. I tend to use "really" a lot. So being aware of that helps me change my writing style. Grammarly also points out better words to use, but I have found it works only 10-20% of the time. That is still better than nothing. Then try cutting down your text by 50% and then again by 50%. I found my text to be wordy, but cutting it down helps clarify the text. And editing is more important than writing. I always find it easy to write the first draft then spend hours editing, which I never used to do before. And then read a ton, especially fiction books. They seem to use exciting(Grammarly changed "interesting" to exciting here) words. Keep notes of what has an impact. And then you can use it in your text. I hope that helps.
- bostonvaulter2 5y ago
  Hmm, that might be worth a look. I do read a good amount of fiction, although it tends to be a bit off and on, partially because a good book will suck me in and I'll finish it in no time.
Fricken 5y ago
The quality of my writing goes up when I'm actively reading quality literature. Lately I've just reading internet junk so my prose sucks.

GianFabien 5y ago

Do you have the same difficulty when speaking to somebody? If not, then just talk out loud and write down what you say. Engaging writing reads like a person to person conversation. Yes, it's a bit like the rubber ducking: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging

bostonvaulter2 5y ago
I think I sometimes do have similar issues speaking as writing. Although it's partially that I tend to worry that people aren't interested in what I have to say so I very rarely speak for more than 30 seconds straight (outside of presentations of course).

capybara_2020 5y ago

I am also in a similar place. The things I have seen work for me. First, sign up for a Grammarly premium account. It identifies easy fixes, and you do not even have to think about punctuations. And it identifies places where your words are redundant. You start noticing patterns. I tend to use "really" a lot. So being aware of that helps me change my writing style. Grammarly also points out better words to use, but I have found it works only 10-20% of the time. That is still better than nothing. Then try cutting down your text by 50% and then again by 50%. I found my text to be wordy, but cutting it down helps clarify the text. And editing is more important than writing. I always find it easy to write the first draft then spend hours editing, which I never used to do before. And then read a ton, especially fiction books. They seem to use exciting(Grammarly changed "interesting" to exciting here) words. Keep notes of what has an impact. And then you can use it in your text. I hope that helps.

bostonvaulter2 5y ago
Hmm, that might be worth a look. I do read a good amount of fiction, although it tends to be a bit off and on, partially because a good book will suck me in and I'll finish it in no time.

Fricken 5y ago

The quality of my writing goes up when I'm actively reading quality literature. Lately I've just reading internet junk so my prose sucks.