Some Advice on Writing
At the moment, I have several writing assignments and am quite worried about meeting deadlines while doing a good job. As a co-author and editor, I find it even more challenging to ensure that I capture all the valuable suggestions from my more insightful friends.
That’s why I decided to revisit some of the advice I’ve compiled over time from my favorite writer, Jack Lewis:
1 - Writing should be a natural overflow of our thoughts
“I do not sit down at my desk to put into verse something that is already clear in my mind. If it were clear in my mind, I should have no incentive or need to write about it. We do not write in order to be understood; we write in order to understand.”
2. Writing should emphasize clarity over cleverness
“Any fool can write learned language. The vernacular is the real test.”
If you cannot explain something simply, you do not truly understand it.
3. Writing should stress a sense of duty, not desire
Writing should be viewed as a responsibility rather than a passion. ?
“I never exactly made a book. It's rather like taking dictation. I was given things to say.”
4. The Role of Imagination
Imagination should be seen as a way to communicate deep truths, often more effectively than direct argument.
“Reason is the natural organ of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning.”
5. Writing books and papers should not be about self-expression or literary ambition but about necessity. We need something important to say and have a deep sense of duty and a desire for clarity.
"Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring two pence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it."
We need to see language as a means to illuminate truth, engage the imagination, and make deep ideas accessible. And reject overly complex or pretentious writing, favoring instead clarity and simplicity.
May we never hear from our editors the comment made by the great Samuel Johnson:
"Your manuscript is both good and original; but the part that is good is not original, and the part that is original is not good."
Finally, the advice of Salomon:
“Of writing of many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body." (Ecclesiastes 12:12)
?Cheers,
?Paulo
I can write your book for you -- Tell your story through my words | Written 8+ books for different industry leaders | Regularly sharing writing tips
1 天前Very good thoughts. Although I don’t take much advice from writers because writing is a highly unique and personal process, a lot to ponder here. For example, “We do not write in order to be understood; we write in order to understand.” – as someone who has been writing website content for more than 17 years, my primary job is to make people understand what I have already understood. In fact, all the book projects that I’m working on right now (three) involve making people understand what my clients have already understood.
PhD. in Geosciences (Unicamp), MSc. in Electrical Engineering (PUC-RJ).
1 天前I only know how to study by writing. The only way I can understand a concept or ideas is by writing in my own words.
Associate Professor at SINES, NUST, Islamabad, Pakistan
1 天前Loved it