Re:Lessons Learned from “On Writing Well”
by transposed on Wednesday January 25, 2017 @10:50PM
(#13488549)
Agreed. Improving my writing from countless essays and writing heavy classes has been a tremendous help in my life.
Good writing is not necessarily good speech, as you've noted. Learning technical writing is a superpower — I would recommend The Essentials of Technical Communication. A chemistry teacher once introduced it alongside a Vonnegut quote:
"It would never occur to me, to look for the best minds of my generation in an undergraduate English department anywhere. I would certainly try the physics department or the music department first."
Technical writing and writing for emotional impact both have their place. Learn both, and learn when to employ them. You may find yourself appreciating that Thoreau quote one day.