
Writers can also eliminate family members who are unimportant in their memoirs and leave out asides that don’t serve the story. They should cut out any words or sentences that do not serve the larger point of the work.

To keep a work interesting, writers should be careful not to include too much information. The final product may seem easy to read, but writing well requires hard work from the author. Good writers don’t submit their work for years because they’re never satisfied with how things sound or look. They may spend hours on one sentence because they want to make sure that it’s as clear as possible. A good writer will always keep revising their work until it’s perfect. Revising means rewriting sentences and phrases so that they are clear and concise. Instead of doing those things first, writers should write because they’re genuinely interested in a subject and want to share what they know with others who might be interested as well.Īfter a writer has written a first draft, the next step is to revise it. However, it’s not good for a writer to try too hard with complex sentences or start off with where they’ll publish the piece or whether editors will like it. Over time, writers will develop their own voice that readers will recognize. Writers who are enthusiastic about their subject can keep an audience interested in their work by pulling them from paragraph to paragraph. Good writing is clear and direct, but a writer’s style should be unique to the individual. If you can’t write clearly then your audience will quickly lose interest in what you’re saying because they won’t be able to follow along without getting lost or confused by your vague wording. Authors also avoid using the first person, which makes a piece feel cold and inhuman. They use jargon to make their writing sound official but it just ends up being unintelligible. These memoirists and entrepreneurs face the same frustrations as academics and authors in terms of writing effectively.


They simply want to share their experiences, record family histories, or communicate with coworkers and employees. Most aspiring writers aren’t trying to write the next New York Times bestseller.

For example, writing can be used to record personal experiences or share memories with others. It argues that writing well is essential for everyone, as it helps people organize their thoughts and communicate more clearly with colleagues. On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction is a collection of guiding principles that can help aspiring writers create professional-quality nonfiction in various genres. 1-Page Summary of On Writing Well Overview
