Write in the positive. Never draw attention to someone else for being wrong. If someone else is wrong then ignore them and state what is true. If someone else is unclear then ignore them entirely. Do not insult others. Do not write with contempt. Look for why things are true.
Write the minimum necessary to prove a point. Do not preempt counterarguments.
Contaminate your ideas with concepts from distant domains.
Do not write about topics because they are prestigious. Prestige measures what other people care about. Write what you care about.
Do not repeat anything someone else has already said. Only quote others if you are quoting from memory.
Do not repeat yourself.
Do not worry that readers might misinterpret what you write. Readers will misinterpret what you write.
Do not worry that what you write will not be worth reading. You cannot predict what will be worth reading.
Do not write convoluted ideas. If an idea seems convoluted then either it is a stupid idea or your logic is garbage. Complex ≠ convoluted. Complicated ideas are fine. Esoteric ideas are fine.
Do not pander.
Never write “As an <identity>…”. A statement’s truth value does not depend on who you are.
Do include personal experiences.
Avoid creating media with a short shelf life.
Ignore cynics. Cynics neither do things nor invent things.
Writing tests your courage. If you have anything important to say then most people will think you are wrong.
Write things that are true. Do not write things that are untrue.
EDIT: nevermind, I just see that you wrote Contrarian Writing Advice in response to Daniel Kokotaiko. I haven’t read that.
Disagree with 2, 6. Not sure about 5. Agree with others.
2. Write the minimum necessary to prove a point. Do not preempt counterarguments.
https://slatestarcodex.com/2016/02/20/writing-advice/ Scott suggests to anticipate and defuse counterarguments. (#8 of his list). I rarely write anything but it seems about right to preemptively refute the most likely ways that people will misunderstand you. I also like Duncan’s Ruling Out Everything Else, which suggests setting up some boundaries so that other’s cannot misinterpret you too much.
6. Do not repeat yourself.
Using examples help readers understand and using a lot of examples will probably make you repeat some points a few times. (Perhaps you don’t count that as repeating yourself?) It is probably best if you use more examples but mark them as non-compulsory reading in one way or another.
These are the rules I use when I’m writing.
Write in the positive. Never draw attention to someone else for being wrong. If someone else is wrong then ignore them and state what is true. If someone else is unclear then ignore them entirely. Do not insult others. Do not write with contempt. Look for why things are true.
Write the minimum necessary to prove a point. Do not preempt counterarguments.
Contaminate your ideas with concepts from distant domains.
Do not write about topics because they are prestigious. Prestige measures what other people care about. Write what you care about.
Do not repeat anything someone else has already said. Only quote others if you are quoting from memory.
Do not repeat yourself.
Do not worry that readers might misinterpret what you write. Readers will misinterpret what you write.
Do not worry that what you write will not be worth reading. You cannot predict what will be worth reading.
Do not write convoluted ideas. If an idea seems convoluted then either it is a stupid idea or your logic is garbage. Complex ≠ convoluted. Complicated ideas are fine. Esoteric ideas are fine.
Do not pander.
Never write “As an <identity>…”. A statement’s truth value does not depend on who you are.
Do include personal experiences.
Avoid creating media with a short shelf life.
Ignore cynics. Cynics neither do things nor invent things.
Writing tests your courage. If you have anything important to say then most people will think you are wrong.
Write things that are true. Do not write things that are untrue.
Interesting! 1, 2, 6, 7, and 8 seem to directly contradict bits of standard writing advice that I’ve thought was good in the past, and maybe still do.
Also, I’d love it if this post was numbered rather than in bullet points!
Good idea. I have added numbers.
Thanks!
Uhm, did or did not you miss a “not” here?
Fixed. Thanks.
EDIT: nevermind, I just see that you wrote Contrarian Writing Advice in response to Daniel Kokotaiko. I haven’t read that.
Disagree with 2, 6. Not sure about 5. Agree with others.
https://slatestarcodex.com/2016/02/20/writing-advice/
Scott suggests to anticipate and defuse counterarguments. (#8 of his list). I rarely write anything but it seems about right to preemptively refute the most likely ways that people will misunderstand you. I also like Duncan’s Ruling Out Everything Else, which suggests setting up some boundaries so that other’s cannot misinterpret you too much.
Using examples help readers understand and using a lot of examples will probably make you repeat some points a few times. (Perhaps you don’t count that as repeating yourself?) It is probably best if you use more examples but mark them as non-compulsory reading in one way or another.