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A few years back I did an internship at a gaming magazine and one of the editors gave me a great tip to make writing a lot easier: "Just start writing. Write w

A few years back I did an internship at a gaming magazine and one of the editors gave me a great tip to make writing a lot easier: "Just start writing. Write whatever you want but write and write and keep writing. Eventually what you want will appear on the page and you'll edit out the random blabbering". Made a huge difference for me because my problem was the initial blank page.

Helmut10001 5y ago
Writing is hard, no matter how you frame it. There a native English speakers who may have an advantage because they can produce clever phrasing more easily. But I found that actual content (e.g. having to say something that matters) always beats clever phrasing, albeit you need a bit of both. As a non-native English speaker, I usually require about 8 months straight (4hrs/day) to produce a full paper with ~8000 words. Note that this is after all research is done and all results are already available. It is a multi-iteration process. It is also critical that I accept not keeping parts for just an end in itself (e.g. not throwing away text that took time to produce): If it does not support the main message of the paper, it gets removed eventually. Clinging to text was my biggest mistake as a beginner because it effectively prevented succinct synthesis (btw. this is mentioned in the blog post, too). Having mentors that point to redundant text helps.
- arp242 5y ago
  Sometimes I feel that (proficient) non-native speakers are actually better because they tend to describe things plainly, directly, and clearly, without trying to be all clever about it. Even in technical (non-fiction) writing there are different styles, and when in doubt it should really be clarity that wins. Especially in documentation and such. I do notice that in my native language it's a bit easier to make a serious point while also writing in a somewhat entertaining style, but that's really just extra fluff. Like you say, at the end of the day people don't read what you have to say for your style, but for your content. > It is also critical that I accept not keeping parts for just an end in itself (e.g. not throwing away text that took time to produce): If it does not support the main message of the paper, it gets removed eventually. I copy/paste these things to a draft document for some future usage, where it's more appropriate. This way you're not "throwing it away" but just "re-organizing it".
nelox 5y ago
This is precisely how I approach writing a journal. Some days are easier than others. On the not so easy days, simply writing anything, in an almost stream of consciousness way, gets the ball rolling and the thoughts and feelings finally gel in to something comprehensible.

Helmut10001 5y ago

Writing is hard, no matter how you frame it. There a native English speakers who may have an advantage because they can produce clever phrasing more easily. But I found that actual content (e.g. having to say something that matters) always beats clever phrasing, albeit you need a bit of both. As a non-native English speaker, I usually require about 8 months straight (4hrs/day) to produce a full paper with ~8000 words. Note that this is after all research is done and all results are already available. It is a multi-iteration process. It is also critical that I accept not keeping parts for just an end in itself (e.g. not throwing away text that took time to produce): If it does not support the main message of the paper, it gets removed eventually. Clinging to text was my biggest mistake as a beginner because it effectively prevented succinct synthesis (btw. this is mentioned in the blog post, too). Having mentors that point to redundant text helps.

arp242 5y ago
Sometimes I feel that (proficient) non-native speakers are actually better because they tend to describe things plainly, directly, and clearly, without trying to be all clever about it. Even in technical (non-fiction) writing there are different styles, and when in doubt it should really be clarity that wins. Especially in documentation and such. I do notice that in my native language it's a bit easier to make a serious point while also writing in a somewhat entertaining style, but that's really just extra fluff. Like you say, at the end of the day people don't read what you have to say for your style, but for your content. > It is also critical that I accept not keeping parts for just an end in itself (e.g. not throwing away text that took time to produce): If it does not support the main message of the paper, it gets removed eventually. I copy/paste these things to a draft document for some future usage, where it's more appropriate. This way you're not "throwing it away" but just "re-organizing it".

nelox 5y ago

This is precisely how I approach writing a journal. Some days are easier than others. On the not so easy days, simply writing anything, in an almost stream of consciousness way, gets the ball rolling and the thoughts and feelings finally gel in to something comprehensible.