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Here's a question about possible cultural differences: I notice that a good number of blog posts I come across these days, that are actually about a technical t
by kleiba 5y ago
Here's a question about possible cultural differences: I notice that a good number of blog posts I come across these days, that are actually about a technical topic, either start with or prominently feature the authors feelings toward the topic. This post is a great example for what I mean, it starts with "I love writing. Every little goddamn bit of it."
I'm personally really turned off by that particular writing style. Sometimes it annoys me so much that I close the tab right away, even though I was originally interested in the topic. That probably tells you more about me than about the authors. (Ha! I just made that comment about myself, too. Take that, bloggers!)
But the fact that I see this happening frequently now makes me wonder: is that perhaps a writing style that is taught in school somewhere? Certainly not in the place and at the time that I went to school but it could be that this style is perhaps actively encouraged somewhere else?
I'd be grateful for any insights / experiences.
- hdjjhhvvhga 5y agoMany people feel compelled to write in this way. They think that if they don't make it personal, the reader will get bored. It has to include some story you could relate to. A good example is Avi Loeb's Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth - for the first half of the book you can only wonder when the author stops talking about himself. Sometimes, although rarely, this makes perfect sense, as in Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! - but in practice everybody thinks they're special.
- kleiba 5y agoSo, are you saying this is just a natural inclination in some authors? If so, it makes you wonder if most people actually _do_ want to see such a personal touch in what they read -- no matter what the topic is. Perhaps it's just me then who can't stand it, at least not when it's completely orthogonal to the topic at hand.
- hdjjhhvvhga 5y agoNo, I hate it too, it just reduces the signal-to-noise ratio. Sometimes a short story is perfectly fine in order to introduce a complex concept and then get to the point, that's all.
- mwigdahl 5y agoI often speculate that this is associated with the rise of video content. So much information on YouTube is encrusted with the personality and brand of the presenter that I wonder if this verbal, story-oriented mode of presentation hasn't spilled over and become the default for general text channels as well.
- fumblebee 5y agoThis is how I feel about most meal recipes I encounter on the internet. The writer's backstory for the recipe is so inconsequential to my wanting that specific set of instructions. Yet there it is, every time.
- haihaibye 5y agoI was always confused about this, but learned copyright doesn't apply to recipes that are just lists of ingredients + instructions, and this is why people add stories etc to them, so they can't be easily ripped.
- dazc 5y agoWith so many similar recipes to compete with, they need to up the word count for SEO reasons. I'm sure the writer finds it as tedious as you do.
- black_puppydog 5y agoTime to burn the web then, if finding what are in essence text documents is so broken as a system... :|
- kleiba 5y agoSeconded, especially when looking for a recipe on a tablet where I have to scroll endlessly to the bottom of the page to finally see the effing recipe.
- rav3ndust 5y agoYou might like https://based.cooking https://based.cooking. It aims to fix this very issue.
- newsbinator 5y agoMy reaction is the same. I wonder if people write this way because most of the writing they've ever done has been prompted by teachers who ask them how they feel on a topic, or they're used to writing in a personal journal/diary, putting their impressions/feelings at the forefront.
- leonth 5y agoI would say it is not about writing style but more about the personality of the author. According to MBTI for example, people are either Thinking (T) or Feeling (F), and I would imagine that strongly Feeling people focus much more on emotions (as compared to Thinking people) when expressing anything - be it talking, writing, etc. To them, the expression of emotion towards a particular subject is as important, if not more, than the objective value / knowledge / information imparted. I can also hazard a guess that there are more Thinking people lurking in HN vs Feeling people, thus the general repulsion towards that style of writing.
- sabellito 5y agoTangential to your post, you might not be aware that MBTI seems to be as scientific as astrology: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers%E2%80%93Briggs_Type_Indicator https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers%E2%80%93Briggs_Type_In...
- ctrlp 5y agoProfessional writing for publication is usually about number of words. The emotional fluff is a version of double-spacing and large font. It's there to stretch an idea that could be stated in a single sentence into an essay. Writing classes teach people to indulge in that sort of thing under the pretense of being interesting or persuasive. But classes aren't necessary. If you're writing for the web or glossies, you'll pick it up through osmosis. It's just what you say when you don't have anything to say but need to say a lot of it.
- LVB 5y agoOne benefit of seeing so much writing like this: it encourages me to get to the f’ing point. I’ve been working on tightening my writing for a few years. It’s motivating when someone adds to their reply to your email, “BTW your note was really clear and succinct.”
- CodeyWhizzBang 5y agoI think it's the personal essay style that is quite popular at the moment - the mix of topic with the author's experience of that topic. (Personally, I quite like that style, but then I think I read for the experience of reading as much as for the practical takeaways).
- otikik 5y agoCooking recipes used to start with the name, then the list of ingredients and maybe cooking apparel, and finish with list of preparation steps. I don't know if you have visited any online recipe website recently, but that's not how things are any more. Now people preface all that with how they feel, their car problems, the last show they binged over on Netflix, and the entomology of the word "chinchilla". It's frustrating.
- otikik 5y ago... And I should have read the other comments before posting :) Have a good day