Some Paradoxical Rules of Writing

Having written close to 200 pieces on this site, and dozens of docs on the job, I’ve come to realize that, with regard to writing, there are many rules and also no rules at all.

• use simple words to be clear and concise

• use complex words to be sharp and precise

• write short sentences for the punch

• write long sentences to convey nuance

• spend 80% effort on an intro that hooks

• skip the intro, just get into the nooks

• write for a wide audience to maximize reach

• write for an audience of one—dive into a niche

• write about something that may seem plain

• write about something that’s outright arcane

• write what’s widely known in a fresh way

• write what no one cares about or dares say

• make it easy to read but hard to forget

• make it deep and detailed so readers sweat

• condense wisdom into 120 words that zing

• expand over 12,000 words and let your thoughts sing

• write without publishing to hone your craft

• hit publish even though it still feels like a draft

• emulate the style of others to learn and grow

• find and hone your voice and let it flow

• spend weeks and months polishing a piece

• ship something in hours, just release

• ask for feedback to gain the wisdom of the crowd

• trust your inner voice and think out loud

• follow the rules
• break the rules

If you found this useful, please cite this write-up as:

Yan, Ziyou. (Dec 2024). Some Paradoxical Rules of Writing. eugeneyan.com.
https://eugeneyan.com/writing/paradox/.

or

@article{yan2024paradox,
  title   = {Some Paradoxical Rules of Writing},
  author  = {Yan, Ziyou},
  journal = {eugeneyan.com},
  year    = {2024},
  month   = {Dec},
  url     = {https://eugeneyan.com/writing/paradox/}
}

Share on: