Ask HN: Courses or Books in Better Writing

I'm going to piggy back on this so if you find the most accurate answer, I'd like to know too.

In my attempt to help, one of the most helpful books for writing (traditional fiction/nonfiction) is "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers" - the maxim, "Show, don't tell" is the central theme and what I would recommend you consider, but tailor it to a technical aspect. Here's an example of telling vs showing -

That night, the father was very nervous while he waited while he waited for his daughter.

VS

He checked his watch. 1:03 a.m. The father noted his nail was almost chewed to the nub. He got up and walked to the window and peered out. He checked his watch again, still chewing on his raw finger. It was still 1:03 a.m.

See the difference? Showing typically takes more effort and time which makes it challenge for engineer-types whose livelihood often depends on efficiency and saving time. But the result is more powerful as you begin to empathize with the character.

I struggle with technical writing too so the only other advice I could add is to get OTHER eyes on your writing as much as possible, that fresh perspective is invaluable.

Also, amazon mturk has surveys that you can have strangers do quick surveys for like 25-50 cents a head (it's mercenary work so the survey needs to be quick)... but you can consider using it if you want to test clarity in your message - mind you, these will NOT be investors but if you are trying to explain a technical concept to outsiders, (investors probably won't understand why your pitch is so important) then chances are if you get 50 strangers on the internet to all understand your technical statement, you are probably in good shape.

I can't provide exactly what you're looking for, but I would disagree with outright repetition as a means of learning to do any kind of writing. If you repeat bad practices due to inexperience you will be training to a bad job with confidence. Hemingway said that being a good writer means being a dedicated reader and that reading is the activity of training to write (heavily paraphrased from A Moveable Feast). If you want to write good technical documentation, there is nothing that will prepare you as well as experiencing the difference between good and bad examples. If you can get your hands on some real-world examples of what you want to write then you will develop a critical eye as you read them. I am sure that there are some that would make you eager to throw your money in the ring and there are probably some that would embarrass you if you were a part of the pitch.

For a more minute suggestion, look into cognitive ease and how it is affected by language (Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman is a personal and HN favorite). If you are trying to be persuasive, don't use weird words like people do when they are writing their first resume, forgo words that you have trouble pronouncing and use jargon judiciously to inspire a positive and confident reaction.

Also, here's a Quora thread[1] that suggests the exact opposite approach and also gives a book recommendation. While I disagree with that advice it may not matter because, as pointed out there, these documents are proprietary.

1. https://www.quora.com/Where-can-I-view-real-world-business-p...

If your looking for a good book on writing as far as logical structure, I would highly recommend The Pyramid Principle

https://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-Principle-Logic-Writing-Think...

I have a few tips:

1. What you start with: Do a first draft! It's supposed to be terrible. Once you get something (bad) down on paper, it's not hard to make it better, reorganize, clarify, simplify. Repeat. No-one writes a great first draft. It's just about getting something on paper to start editing.

2. Draw, sketch. Use diagrams in working out the relationships between parts, stages, plans, people etc that you want to talk about–maybe even in the finished document.

3. Read Zinsser's On Writing Well. It's about non-fiction prose of all kinds. A wonderful book.

http://gen.lib.rus.ec/search.php?req=zinsser+on+writing+well

On writing well by W. Zinsser is a classic.