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What Is Effective Writing? A Definition - Darius Foroux
Writing as a tool
Writing is a way of communicating. When you use clear, credible and persuasive language, you don't have to worry about a beautiful sentence or fancy words.
- If you are not clear from the start, you will end up wasting a lot of time clarifying your message. Aim to get it right from the start.
- You can write the wrong thing that will land you up in an argument. If you didn't mean it that way, don't write it that way. Write what you mean.
- Ineffective writing can cause lost opportunities.
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Effective writing
Effective writing is not about grammar, punctuation, and spelling. It is about hitting your mark.
- Effective writing is clear and has only one interpretation.
- Effective writing is credible. Your reader will only believe you if you know what you're talking about. They will immediately sense if you ramble or are dishonest.
- Effective writing is persuasive. It sparks a reaction within your reader and inspires them.
Writing as a tool
Writing is a way of communicating. When you use clear, credible and persuasive language, you don't have to worry about a beautiful sentence or fancy words.
- If you are not clear from the start, you will end up wasting a lot of time clarifying your message. Aim to get it right from the start.
- You can write the wrong thing that will land you up in an argument. If you didn't mean it that way, don't write it that way. Write what you mean.
- Ineffective writing can cause lost opportunities.
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The value of solid writing skills
- Being a good writer helps you stand out from the crowd.
- Repeated writing mistakes affect your reputation and credibility in the future.
- Your writing is ...
Kurt Vonnegut
"Why should you examine your writing style with the idea of improving it? Do so as a mark of respect for your readers, whatever you’re writing.”
The “5 Ws + H” method
... for establishing what and how you will write:
- Who: Who is my audience?
- What: What do they need to know?
- When: When does this apply, when did this happen, or when do they need to know it by?
- Where: Where is this happening?
- Why: Why do they need this information?
- How: How should they use this information?
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“Be A Strong Writer”
This is one of the first pieces of advice people give to those seeking remote work.
When you work remotely, a few misplaced words can become an occupational hazard. Every w...
Accessible Language
- Use of caps lock, emojis, italics and tildes (~) to make your language flowery, fun and human is a great idea for remote working. You can also use memes and gif images, provided they are not offensive to anyone.
- Robot speak is not a good way to freely collaborate with your remote peers. Use simple words, and keep it on the casual side, skipping the inaccessible and stilted language. You can also opt for contractions like writing isn’t instead of is not.
Be Clear And Concise
- Do not obscure your message by words that are there to decorate the sentence and make it sound wordy while camouflaging what you mean.
- Make good use of qualifiers ("I think, In my opinion") while not coming across as a perpetually confused person. Don’t use qualifiers while making a strong point.
- While writing documentation, it is prudent to avoid jargon and acronyms.
- Use complete words and sentences. Shortcuts and acronyms block any actual communication, acting as roadblocks. On the same lines, avoid cliches, idioms and any idiotic sounding phrase that catches the ear well but doesn’t really do any good to anyone.
- Remote working is often on a global scale, and certain expressions will not be understood by some participants, or worse, will be misunderstood.
- Your words and tone should be tailored according to your audience. The words are different when you are writing to a client, and when you are in a small group chat with your peers. More people in chat also means adopting a polished, professional tone.
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Benefits of a daily writing habit
- Better self-discipline
- Improving persuasion skills
- Cultivating self-awareness
- Better decision making
- Seeing the power of compounding in action
Writing as self-discipline
The reason why we don’t do anything useful with our time is that we lack self-discipline. But when you write every day, you strengthen your discipline. And you can transfer that better self-discipline to achieve anything in life.
Writing cultivates self-awareness
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