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Excerpts from Write in the style you’d like to read by Mike Crittenden:
This post had me nodding so hard I tweaked my neck. Choice quotes:
Novelist William Maughan said there are three rules to good writing. “Unfortunately no one knows what they are.” I actually think there’s one: write the kind of stuff you like to read. Writing for yourself is fun, and it shows. Writing for others is work, and it shows.
People don’t remember books, blogs, or articles. They remember sentences. That should be your goal: a collection of memorable sentences. One good line is infinitely more powerful than a few clumsy paragraphs.
Writing is an efficiency game. Whoever says the most stuff in the fewest words wins.
But efficient doesn’t necessarily mean brief. There are 900-page books where every word adds value. Efficient just means every line is a delight to read.
Don’t try to build up to your point. It’s the biggest cause of rambling, and it’s where you’ll lose readers. The beginning of a story should be as pleasurable to read as the big idea that comes later.
Aw heck, just read the whole post.
Related:
- Write shorter nonfiction. Please.
- Write 5x more but write 5x less
- Use the smallest word that does the job
- Writing that’s meant to be seen and not read