6 mistakes in professional writing

Robin recently wrote about 5 common pitfalls in technical writing. This article got a lot of attention, and we wanted to follow up by asking our community for their advice. We asked you what is one thing people should keep in mind so they can write better? Thanks to everyone who shared a reply with us!

David Both keeps the objective in mind:

The most important thing for me to remember is the objective that caused me to write my books and articles in the first place. I sometimes call this my points of pain.

For my books, I write the books I wish I'd had when I was just getting started. So many of the books that were available at the times I began learning various things were just collections of knowledge with little or no context. So my books must all have a context that provides the reader with information about why the things they're learning are important and to build on that knowledge in a sequence that also makes sense.

For my articles, it's more about telling the story of how I learned something and why. What caused me to try to learn this new thing, how I went about it, the problems I encountered, and how I resolved them.

Seth Kenlon has similar advice:

For everything you write, plan out exactly one point you are trying to make. In an article, you're communicating exactly one thing. In a chapter of a book, you're communicating one thing in a series of greater instructions. In a section of a chapter, you're communicating one component of a process.

Once you start writing, know your point and understand where you intend for the reader to start, and where you want the reader to be by the end. As you write, ask yourself after each paragraph whether what you've just written contributes to your point, or whether you've wandered off onto a tangent. Sometimes tangential information is completely irrelevant, but often it's of interest but it's better as a separate piece. Save your tangents to a different file, and use them later as supplements (maybe an appendix, or whole other chapter, or a different article you can link to). This helps you preserve the direction and intent of what you're writing, and it makes your writing modular, and frankly more useful to your readers.

Ben Zvan recommends fact-checking any output from an AI co-author:

Using ChatGPT and not proofreading it for truthfulness.

Tomo Lennox says knowing your audience is key:

I agree that forgetting, or not knowing, your audience is huge. One of my favorite authors said that you should be writing to somebody that you can visualize, not just anybody who might be reading it. I am not very good at it, because I learn so much when people read what I write. Like good Agile software development, you should not write too much before getting feedback.

Robin Bland shared this additional advice about images:

Share an image! Writing about something is much easier if you can show it, not talk about it. When you describe something like how to use a software interface, always include a screenshot. Then your readers can see it and understand.

But don't forget the text. A lot of people forget that not everyone can see the image. If you have a vision problem or are completely blind, you need the text too. Include descriptive alt text on all of your images, plus a figure caption, and a description about what to do.

Jim Hall wants authors to make a point:

Pick a side and stick to it. The most interesting articles are ones that advocate for something, or at least maintain a consistent point of view.

Articles that try to maintain an 'academic distance' are too dry; they don't pick a point of reference. Instead, they try to show all sides. If I'm reading an academic paper, that separation may be okay. But that doesn't work for professional writing.

One example is a recommendations report. When I served as a CIO in higher ed and government, I would often ask staff "I have two months until the end of the fiscal year, and I'm going to have X left over. I need to spend it or I lose it. Research some things I should do with that money." A recommendations report is permission to take a side; you should advocate for what I should do with that money. So, pick a side and tell me.