4 Simple Writing Tips for Writers Who Want to Draft Relatable Content Naturally
Using ChatGPT to help you write like you speak, how group chatting enhances your writing, and more...
I had an article workshop with my Director
and a co-worker. For those who don’t know, I write articles and create content for the company FEE.My article draft sucked, but through workshopping it, I gleaned 4 straighforward lessons that can help writers write more relatable prose:
1. Write how you speak
I’ve learned about this idea before when reading the book The Art of Nonfiction, but I’ve never internalized it until this workshop.
My writing tends to be technical and precise, but otherwise stiff. But, when it comes to writing an essay for noobies, my writing will come off as confusing and cold rather than clear and casual.
2. Write how you speak by actually speaking
I also had an epiphany during the discussion of this idea: I do my best writing when I’m talking to people about ideas in a group chat.
I talk with a lot of different people about philosophy and psychology on the FEE Discord. When talking to those people I don’t write in technical and precise terms, because that would only confuse. Rather, I write casually and often humorously, because that’s how I naturally conversate with people.
On the other hand, when I write in a text editor (like Notion or a Google Doc) rather than a group chat, my mind goes into “school mode.” This is when I try to write for performance rather than write as if I’m having a conversation. I call it school mode because schools teach kids to write in technical, non-casual language, rather than write as they speak.
I’ve discovered how important it is to realize what “writing mode” you’re in from this first-hand experience. If you find writing hard and you keep producing stiff prose, it’s probably because you’re trying to perform well at writing rather than enjoying communicating the ideas you’re passionate about.
Writing to communicate vs. writing to write is like the difference between child’s play and work. When you’re writing to someone on the other end group chat, time whizzes by and you’re elated and engaged. But when you place yourself in your writing tortue chamber, minutes feel like hours and the only thing “whizzing” is the rapid changing of your emotions.
3. Write to completeness
Writing as you speak is important for another reason: you naturally try to communicate “completely.”
As my Director mentioned, “completeness is a virtue.” The best way to write “completely” is by having a conversation about that subject with your target audience. Having a conversating is a much more natural way to indentify the “missing links” your readers have.
In the case of my draft, my missing link was an explanation of how someone’s behavior can act as a “tell” of what ideology they hold. Without explaining that, my readers would have been lost as to what my article was getting at.
4. Write to ChatGPT to help you write as you speak
If you find yourself enjoying writing better in a group chat, you might also find writing to ChatGPT to be similarly helpful.
For example, you could ask ChatGPT to act as a layman and to ask questions if it does not understand. ChatGPT could then have a conversation with you much like you would in a Discord group chat or a Twitter thread. This would simulate that “group chat writing feel” and help you write better.
Hope this helps.
Thanks for reading.