I often write about how the true purpose of school is not to learn any particular subject – math, biology, English, etc. – but to learn more broadly applicable skills like how to learn, logical reasoning, and executive function. This is because most of the subjects you study in school don’t have much practical utility. Very few people use the quadratic formula or the steps of mitosis or Shakespeare in their daily lives.
There is, however, a school subject that nearly every single person uses, nearly every single day, both in and outside of their profession: writing.
We’re All Writers
It’s difficult to get through a day in the modern world without writing. We write emails and texts and social media posts. We write ourselves reminders and to-do lists. And in your career – no matter what it is – you’re probably required to write.
Here’s what Seth Godin recently observed about this:
“Nobody asks you to design a bridge, write a sonnet or do open heart surgery. We leave these essential tasks to trained professionals.
But many job descriptions carry the unstated addendum, ‘and write.’ Write memos, proposals, and even instruction manuals.
… You might not think you’re a professional writer (you’re a doctor! you’re a manager! you’re a teacher!) but if it’s an important part of your job, you are a professional, or at least we expect you to be.”1
So to be effective in nearly any career, you need to be able to write well.
What is Good Writing?
Good writing isn’t fancy, flowery, or full of big words. Good writing is clear. That’s it.
Your primary goal as a writer is clear communication. Get your ideas across in such a way that they will be understood and remembered.
Explain enough that people get it, and then stop. Adding extra usually just muddies the water. Here’s Godin again:
“The local supermarket is reducing its hours for the summer (well deserved). The sign they put on the door to announce this is 100 words long.
The folks who manage the building where I work regularly send complicated and off-putting emails and texts to residents, when simple and powerful language is just a few keystrokes away.”1
Most of the time, less is more.
How Do You Become a Skilled Writer?
Like any skill, writing takes practice, so the more you write, the better you’ll become. Find and create more opportunities to practice: blogging, journaling, writing your own book summaries, etc.
When writing, don’t worry about how good it sounds on the first pass. Just get your ideas out. You can come back and edit later. Don’t even worry if your ideas are incomplete. Start with whatever you have. Your ideas and phrasing will get clearer after you’ve dumped what’s in your head onto the page.
Get feedback on your writing from someone who is a better writer than you. Actually, get feedback from anyone because they can tell you what makes sense and what’s confusing. This will help you adopt a critical skill for self-editing: taking the reader’s perspective. Will they get what I mean? Is there any way they could misunderstand me? Have I left any important questions unanswered? Do this and your writing will get clearer.
One shortcut to becoming a better writer is reading popular nonfiction. These books and articles are designed to explain complicated and specialized ideas without making readers bored or confused. The more examples of good writing you see, the more easily you’ll generate similar language when you have to explain something.
And lastly, even if you don’t love your language arts class, even if you plan to pursue a career that involves minimal writing, take the subject seriously. Writing isn’t going away once you graduate. You’re going to need this skill for the rest of your life. So take advantage of the opportunity that school is providing you to learn and practice. It just might be the most valuable thing you get out of your education.
1Godin, Seth. “Non-professional writers.” Seth’s Blog. August 20, 2024.
Chris Loper has been working as a tutor and academic coach since 2014, racking up over 13,000 hours of experience supporting students.
Along with Greg Smith, Chris is the co-creator of Parenting for Academic Success, a series of classes that create empowered parents, confident students, and harmonious families.
Chris writes the popular self-improvement blog Becoming Better, where he also offers habit coaching, helping busy adults with habit formation and productivity.
Chris’s most recent endeavor combines his academic and habit-formation expertise to help students thrive in college. Visit SmartCollegeHabits.com to learn more.
In 2021, he published a humorous memoir titled Wood Floats and Other Brilliant Observations, a book that blends crazy stories with practical life lessons.
He lives in Issaquah, WA, where he is the owner of South Cove Tutoring.