Chuck Reynolds

Writing

We frequently hear that “txt” speak is becoming more and more prevalent in the classroom. In fact, a friend of mine who is getting her teaching degree in Elementary Education said that she is given training on how to educate students, as young as fourth graders, to avoid using the short hand communication. My generation, Y, grew up creating text shorthand but I feel we largely avoid it when appropriate. Actually, we avoid writing all together – that will be to our detriment.

Writing is important. It is so important that my employer spends millions of dollars each year contracting PhDs to train its technologists to write well through college level writing courses. The question is, aside from the quick email or 140 character tweet, how often do we write and should we write more?

I was brought up in a home that felt writing was essential. Growing up I was encouraged to read any book just to get exposed to well written prose. At times finding the desire to read was difficult, but if I read the first 100 pages of a book that my dad suggested, I normally could not put it down. This was the case with Ender’s Game and Shogun – two of my favorites. When I rebelled and wouldn’t read the first 100, I was tasked with writing. My dad’s aim was to get me to do one of the two things to improve my writing: reading and writing. Now, I look back and wish I had done more of both (this site is part of my strategy to make up for lost time).

As I continue to research successful people to meet my “productivity p0rn” addiction, I’ve come across people in different industries and different roles who write frequently and well. Joel Spolsky, Fred Wilson, Paul Graham are just the people that write the blogs that I frequent. We can’t forget Warren Buffet’s annual must-read letter to shareholders. Writing well alone does not cause one to be successful, it doesn’t hurt.

Some years ago, Paul Graham wrote an essay on essays. In it he described the essay as a journey to find the answer to a profound question. The easiest way to describe this is to think of the last time you had a wonderful idea in your head, but when you attempted to write it down it raveled apart. You were writing an essay. You were attempting to poke holes in your own ideas and get them on paper so they could become more concrete. In Chip and Dan Heath’s Made to Stick, they discuss how stories that are simple and concise “stick” – you remember them easily. A complicated, poorly written idea may be a new billion dollar market, but without being able to accurately communicate your idea and get to the point, no one will listen or remember.

Even the folks at 37signals who are against everything traditional about business feel that writing a plan is important – they advise you to write it and forget it but at least they recognize the value in writing down your plan. Writing forces us to think through our ideas. It causes us to refine, process and communicate what is important to us.

While writing may be losing it’s appeal, it is also becoming increasingly important. By writing and writing well, you distinguish yourself as an accomplished individual. You can articulate and prove your idea for the billion dollar business.

So, write a letter, a poem or just edit an email before you send it – write and refine. Ed Barr, a terrific professor at Carnegie Mellon, has 7 easy steps you can follow. If you don’t want to write, read – I have some suggestions of great books for you to get started with.

Writing is an art form that should not be left to the artists.

Note: Be sure to check out all of my writing, and please comment and engage. I write here, tumblr, twitter (some may call it writing), and for StartupPittsburgh. For some reading suggestions you can peruse my reviews of books I have read under the book tag on tumblr. Also feel free to write me an email or better yet a letter – I may be obliged to return the favor.