I've always wondered how people manage to write and speak well. I used to think writing was reserved for geniuses with a high IQ. I figured that anyone who writes well must also speak well — and speaking well was one of my goals. So, I made it a personal objective to learn how to write effectively, because I believed it would also help me speak better, hold intelligent conversations, sound articulate, and, of course, see myself as a true intellectual.

This led to my discovery that writing well wasn't reserved for a select group of people. Infact, I confirmed that only those who put in the effort to learn how to write well, actually got good at it.

In this essay, I have written about;

• Why I write
• How I learned to write well
• My writing process

Note: There are many ways to write. I'm sharing approaches that I have found most reliable in my experience. There is no right or wrong way—only what works best for you.

Why I Write

Writing helps me to understand what I read, remember what I learn, make sense of what I feel, share what I'm curious about and create serendipitous discoveries. I aspire to become an intellectual, one who blends both knowledge and artistic expression. This is why I take my time to research topics, take notes, collect quotes, make visual sketches, write essays, and keep a daily log.

To be a good writer, I believe you should have a reason, an objective or motivation for writing. I know why I write, and these reasons guide my work. I don't write to "publish", neither do I write to "impress". I write for myself.

While the goal of a lot of people with writing is to "publish" at a given frequency consistently, I aim to simply write consistently. This is because "publishing" puts a lot of pressure on me and my outcome.

I write when I find new ideas that spark my curiosity which is almost everyday since I read daily. And I publish whenever I like because I know, no work is truly finished.

In my experience, you should only write about ideas that intrigue you and publish at a later date. If it interests you enough, then there's possibility that it'll interest your readers as well.

How I Learned to Write Well

The best way to learn to do a thing is to do the thing and to do it consistently. If learning to write essays is your goal, then like me, you must be trying to write everyday and to read the works of other people, especially those that address "Writing Non-fiction".

To be a good (non-fiction) writer, your work needs to be able to do these few things listed by Julian Shapiro in his essay "Writing Better". He identified these five categories as categories that make non-fiction good:

• Counter-intuitive — "Oh, I never realized the world worked that way."
• Counter-narrative — "Wow, that's not how I was told the world worked!"
• Shock and awe — "That's crazy. I would have never believed it."
• Elegant articulations — "Beautiful. I couldn't have said it better myself."
• Make someone feel seen — "Yes! That's exactly how I feel!"

My writing usually falls under the last two categories, for elegant articulations and to make the readers feel seen or heard. And I hope that by the time you're done reading this work, you think "wow, this piece was thoughtfully written and the writer articulated herself and her processes in such a genuine way" or something close to that at least.

My Writing Process

While I'm not a master at writing, the first step for me is usually to choose a topic.

First Step: Choose a Topic

I choose my topics first by making a list of things I think I'll freshly like to learn or improve upon the knowledge I already possess. I subsequently keep adding things to the list based on what I find interesting.

Whenever I come across a body of work that articulates or breaks down any one of those topics I have listed, that's a sign that I should write on it. This way works for me because my list isn't a must do, it's simple there as a guide, a reminder, some sort of confirmation that when I find quotes or works of other people on the topic, then I should be writing about it.

I really love when I find a new word or topic that intrigues me, then I research on it and try to learn more about it, and then I subsequently keep seeing that word or topic when I read different works or listen to interviews. It confirms that I made a right choice to have it on my list.

Second Step: Draft

From the list of topics I keep, if I have prior knowledge on any one of the topics I begin with it. I do a simple brain dump on what I already know. When this is not the case, I wait till I find a quote, an article, an essay or a book on any of the topics. I create a new note file for it and simply add what I found there. That's my first draft, I can decide to note down a few more things in my own words from the article or book I have read.

I keep doing this until I am satisfied enough with the knowledge I have amassed overtime. Sometimes, the first draft is all I need to write and complete an essay on a given topic. Other times, I need several drafts to be able to piece together a complete work.

Third Step: Rewrite

This is the most important step in my process. This is where the ideas and drafts I have take life, shape and form. After drafting ideas, quotes and excerpts, I piece them together by rewriting.

This is when I choose the objective for writing on this topic as it gives my writing a direction that guides what the output turnout would be.

1. Am I trying to share a solution to a problem?
2. Distill a topic into chunks that's easily digestible for me?
3. Declaring my position or stance on a particular topic or trend?
4. Articulate my emotions or feelings on a particular topic?
5. Tell a story with the aim of teaching a lesson?

My objective helps to clarify what I am trying to accomplish. I don't stress when I have no objective. I simple allow the drafts stay marinating until one day it clicks. Without an objective, there's a high chance of that work staying in my drafts which is usually (published: false).

I use Paul Graham's guide and write simply. I learn new words daily and try to use those words in my essays because practice (usage of the words while talking and writing) makes perfect but I do not overdo them. Personally, I dislike overly technical and complex phrasing when used in other people's work so I try to be weary of it when writing.

I try to write like I talk¹ this way, my writing is clear, concise, straight to the point and isn't an attempt at circumlocution. Sometimes, I read out the words I have written to make sure it sounds like an unforced conversation. This helps me cut out words or phrasings that add no value to the work.

Another thing that helps me write well is "not writing for the goal of publishing". I have stated this earlier but I'll like to hit on it again. Having this in mind helps to remove the pressure of writing a perfect essay. I have no timeline for completing my essays so when I am not feeling a draft, I let it be and come back to it at a much later time which can take as long as 2 weeks.

I've noticed that I come back with fresh insights and new ideas. I see mistakes and errors that I might have missed initially, I remove unnecessary words, and rephrase what remains to be succinct. I am learning to employ the (1) word removal and (2) rephrasing from scratch process for every paragraph as taught by Julian Shapiro.

Last Step: Continuous Tending

Just as a gardener tends to her plants, I tend to my work. No work of mine is truly finished. Opinions change, new ideas are formed, the world stays evolving, all of which are reasons to keep tending to my writings. This allows me to grow a digital garden of well thought out and up ton date work.

I have read quite a number of articles and books on writing and I honestly believe in doing what works for you. Someone sat somewhere and did what worked for him and other people took it up as a norm. Do what works for you, the world will adjust. Some might agree and some won't, what's important is that it worked for you.

References

1. Writing Better
2. Write Simply

Writing for Resonance

When I write, it behoves me to write in a way that resonates with both my future self and my potential readers. I aim to make my writing evoke a meaningful, emotional, or intellectual response in my readers. This creates a connection that goes beyond simple understanding. It's about making my readers feel something, think deeply, or be inspired by my writing, as if the text is resonating with their own experiences or beliefs. I do this successfully by adding stories, analogies, and examples to my work.

Take for instance, my work on everything is a remix, I began that essay describing my personal experience on the topic. Another good example is this essay, I explained why I write and what my end goal is. This is to give you a view into my own world and how I think, and to use myself and my experiences as an example. So that if your goal matches mine, you feel some type of connection which helps you understand my essay better.