In a recent post, I advocated reading as a highly enjoyable means of improving your own writing. A second means to improving your writing is, naturally, writing. Some aspects of writing are art; others are craft—and while writing more consistently won’t necessarily improve your artistic ability (though it certainly could over time—more on which momentarily), it will undoubtedly strengthen those areas that are largely a matter of practice (insert your preferred sports legend reference here—I’ll go with Jerry Rice because San Francisco). The same can be said of editing (which is part and parcel of good writing): Taking time to self-edit regularly will build muscle memory and, over time, improve your final drafts’ quality.
Regarding writing’s artistic side, I’ll offer an example from music as I’m a classically trained (and currently horribly out-of-practice) pianist. I started lessons at age three and took them consistently through my college years. While much of my artistic ability was inarguably God-given, there’s also little doubt it was nourished and developed by years of practice. My ability to interpret pieces and communicate their emotional intricacies matured alongside my repertoire and experience—with hours of practice. So writing consistently can also enhance any natural artistic inclinations you may have.
All of this is a lengthy preamble (which I should probably edit) to a third key to improving your writing: reading about writing. No matter how many good books you read or how often you write and edit, absent a solid foundation—an understanding of the basic principles, pitfalls to avoid, etc.—you’re working at a disadvantage. Fortunately, some great thinkers and writers have offered helpful guides to their fellow thinkers and writers—many of which are highly entertaining. Here are a few of my favorites:
Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott. My first editor recommended this to me, and for that I am so grateful because it is a contender for my favorite book on writing. Bird by Bird, subtitled Some Instructions on Writing and Life, is more than a dry warning against passive voice and dangling participles. It is a funny, touching guide to approaching the challenges of writing well. If nothing else, it will help you realize that as you struggle to write, you’re far from alone.
Economical Writing, by Deirdre McCloskey. The title is a play on words as the book is aimed at economists—but its advice transcends field, and its short length both lives up to the title and recommends it to anyone wanting a quick refresh on some of good writing’s basic principles.
On Writing Well, by William Zinsser. Another classic (first published in 1976) that probably bears regular rereading for its timeless reminders. I think of it as an expanded Economical Writing.
The Elements of Style, by Strunk & White. Yes, another classic (White is EB White, of Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little fame, among others)—and one which some contend is too dated. But I benefit from a periodic rereading—if for no other reason than it is well and wittily written, which is inspiration in itself.
The Sense of Style, by Steven Pinker. Pinker is, in addition to an author, a psychology professor who has researched language and cognition—which gives him an interesting lens through which to explore bad writing’s detrimental effects.
Jason Zweig wrote a three-part series about writing better on his blog. Zweig is an investing writer for The Wall Street Journal—though, as with McCloskey and Pinker, his writing on writing transcends field.
Admittedly, reading about writing sometimes shakes my confidence as it highlights all the ways in which my own work is deficient. But writing is like playing the piano in more than one way (I know!—metaphor alert; well, technically, simile alert). If the goal is conveying the intended message clearly with as few errors as possible while holding the audience’s attention, then achieving that goal requires not only practice, but also learning about technique and the struggles and the lessons others who have trod the path can offer.
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