I found it quite impressive that people are capable of this. For me, I have neither energy, nor ability, nor comprehensive knowledge to do so. So, it is always fascinating (and a bit intimidating) to see people writing these all the time. I want to ask how you guys achieve this feat.

Maybe, is it that I am nonverbal so I cannit write coherently?

  • Lvxferre@mander.xyz
    3·
    1 month ago

    What you said immediately reminded me Grice’s “Logic and Conversation”. The author outline what he calls “conversational maxims”, that resemble a lot your five bullet points - except that they don’t just apply to technical writing, they’re more like principles that we “automatically” use in human conversation. They are:

    1. Maxim of quantity - “be as informative as possible and needed, and no more.”
    2. Maxim of quality - “be truthful; don’t give false or unconfirmed info.”
    3. Maxim of relation - “be relevant; say things that are pertinent to the discussion.”
    4. Maxim of manner - “be clear, brief, and orderly; avoid obscurity and ambiguity.”

    Those four maxims are constantly being violated by the speakers, as they’re in conflict with each other. For example, clarity (maxim of manner) often requires simplifying things, to the point that they aren’t as accurate (maxim of quality) as before.

    This is relevant here because, if you can’t avoid violating those maxims, you need to reach a compromise. And good writing is about finding a good compromise for the target readers.