What is the bedrock of good writing?

Advice for bloggers, copy writers, seo, and introspection:



"While passion does indeed help to make an emotional connection with the reader, it’s hardly the bedrock of good writing. A piece of writing without at least several of the following qualities (in no particular order) will amount to very little:
1. New information or arguments

2. Exceptional knowledge of a subject

3. Relevance to readership

4. Range and depth of research

5. Accuracy of reporting

6. Capacity to weigh the evidence, and reliability of judgement

7. Quality of writing style

8. Originality of individual sensibility and approach
And, if these standards are to be maintained, proper editing is vital." - Rick Poynor (From Print Magazine article "Easy Writer")



-- Begin rambling --



I quoted out this text because when the above link ends up dead and no search for this article actually brings up article text, I want to have a memory of the most important part of the article - the information I need to write better.



While this blog I am writting in is intended for use by no one other than myself (hence, no effort in presentation), I would like some of the posts to evolve to well written pieces of reference.



This article introduced me to Speak Up who I hope will influence designers to stop making obvious negative remarks about everything. I didn't know why all designers I encounter seem to talk very similar to the origins of their approach to discussing design. The designers I've encountered are far less experienced and seem to equate originality and innovation with censure.

This type of dialogue happened in every college course I attended (Social Science, Physics, Psychology, Biology, Art History, Programming, Audio Recording, Feminism) :

Someone always would make some obvious proclaimation to the effect of "[Insert subject matter] isn't really like that and here's a list of vauge enough statements that imply my point."

It used to be me and I stopped the first time another kid in my class did it. I was no longer the rebel without a cause.

I had to evolve to be better than a standard negative approach or I'd just be like those other formulaic rebels.

It takes a little confidence to debate something just to debate it.

You need more than confidence to spend the kind of time examining something from every possible view point and be willing to accept any possible combination of truth as a result of your research even if it doesn't sound edgy. You put away pride, you think, you rethink, you research, you study, you create endless questions, you don't stop until all your questions are answered, you accept that you may not be right, you accept your biases, you accept that time will change everything. If you don't feel like putting in this kind of effort, you inform your listeners of that.

My point is to humble yourself and realize exactly how much you know in comparison to what you could know. Be honest with everyone. Make a statement and explain it for what it is - bias, conclusive research by examining diverse views, or just a book report on the last book you read. People will respect your honesty and not think that you are just an arrogant hack. You'll be amazed how many people are ok with bias remarks. If less people are intimidated by the mystery of your sources, they will feel more comfortable in suggesting things that you may not have read. It might change your life.



-- EO rambling --



Follow the 8 steps. Learn what each step truely means.


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