Writing Tips for NI

“The First Agreement:

Be Impeccable with Your Word.”

Don Miguel Ruiz 

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes.

Introduction

·     This article is primarily for those who have not already delegated the art of writing clearly to ChatGPT or some other form of AI [1].

·     The goal of writing well should be what Daniel Kahneman calls “cognitive ease” [2]: to make your writing easier for the reader to understand, not more obscure.

·     Explicate; don’t obfuscate. [3]

·     We also must learn to write clearly and, if possible, with style.

·     I have spent years reading books, taking courses on improving my writing skills, and ghostwriting for lawyers.

·     I plan to share many lessons I have learned.

·     I will publish them in chunks.

·     Ben Dreyer (author of Dreyer’s English) is a good place to start.

Benjamin Dreyer

Ben Dreyer was copy chief and managing editor for Random House.

Need I say more?

Ben recommends “fasting” (I interpret that as a euphemism; “avoiding entirely” is probably what he means) from the following words for a week:

·     “Very”

·     “Rather”

·     “Really”

·     “Quite”

·     “In fact,”

·     “Just and so” (depending on how they are used)

·     “Pretty” (adverbial, as in “pretty tedious”)

·     “Of course,” (one of my favorites)

·     “Surely”

·     “That said”

·     “Actually” [4]

Let me add to Dreyer’s list two more general categories to avoid like a party of people with COVID:

1.   Words of certainty [5] (“of course,” “surely,” “absolutely,” “always,” and “actually” are good examples).

o  Why?

o  Inherently, intrinsically, inexorably uncertain: that’s the way of reality.

o  Certainty is not what life does.

o  Certainty is an illusion, a trick your ego plays on you.

o  Sooner or later, someone proves the didactic, dogmatic, Certainty Nazis wrong, if not fools.

2.   Generalizations (e.g., “always” and “never”), especially when accompanied by a brackish “you.”

o  “Always” and “never” are always inaccurate and never constructive.

o  Yes, I know what I just said.

o  They shift the focus of a dispute from something specific to a broad attack on character or values: a petty tactic to avoid the real issue.

Bonus Section

“24 Phrases and Words That Make You Sound Stupid”

Paraphrased from an Internet Article by Saad Muzaffer (November 11, 2023):

1.   “Basically”

2.   “Oh My God!”

3.   “Big words”

4.   “Legit”

5.   “Like”

6.   “It’s not rocket science”

7.   “Shouldn’t of” (“shouldn’t have” is correct)

8.  “Could care less” (don’t you mean “couldn’t care less”?)

9.  “Whatever”

10.  “With all due respect” (I respectfully disagree.)

11.   “You know what I mean?”

12.  “Me and my friend” (“My friend and I” is correct).

13.  “Then v. than”

14.  “Irregardless” (my old-fashioned spellcheck doesn’t even recognize this one; here it sits on my computer underlined in red (not to be confused with “tangled up in blue”)).

15.  “Especially v. Specially”

16.  “Chicks” (unless referring to the band)

17.  “In regard to”

18. “Literally”

19.  “Utilize” (“Use” is better; less is more in writing; he says as he goes on and on).

20.   “Conversate” (“Converse” is, of course, correct).

21.    “I, personally” (who else?)

22.   “Supposably” (this one is “actually” a bit tricky because “supposably” is an actual word, actually; more often than not, however, “supposedly” is preferable).

23.   “At this moment in time” (you mean “now”?).

24.   “Expresso” (sorry phonetic spellers, it’s “espresso”)

From my personal list:

1.   “Axed” instead of “asked.”

2.   “pacific” instead of “specific.”

3.   “If you want to know the truth …” (what have you been telling me so far?).

4.   “Etcetera” (and “yadayadayada”).

5.   “Anyway”

6.   “Spoiler alert”

7.   “Breaking news”

8.   “Military intelligence” (stolen from George Carlin’s list of favorite oxymorons)

9.   “When one door closes, another one opens” (If only life were so easy - pseudo-wisdom; sometimes two doors close, and it’s downward-spiral time as they wheel you into the OR).

10.  “This too will pass” (and it could get worse).

When In Doubt

·     Zip it!

·     As I have gotten older, I have discovered that a good portion of my words are probably unnecessary, if not unappreciated.

·     If I had to hear everything I had ever said or written, I doubt that I would sound as clever as I thought I was at the time (except in ninth-grade math class – the high-water mark of my days wearing the crown as “Class Clown” – although I have to be fair: Judge James Horwitz - Houston Probate Judge - was in the same class and competed for “Smart Ass of the Week” with much success; we both had to stand out in the hall a lot!).

·     Never forget: Anything you say can and will be used against you, despite your best intentions, and likely to be distorted years later by an angry spouse – even if you weren’t married when you said them

·     If you are in a contentious discussion with a Certainty Nazi, a simple way to respond is, “How do you know that?”

·     When you are listening, you are learning; when you are talking, you risk saying something foolish.

It’s All Greek to Me

I know that there are a lot of you who are disappointed because you wanted to hear the sordid prequel to Icarus and Daedalus.

Buckle up!

It’s coming.

Until Next Time

Be clear but uncertain.

Be brief but explicate.

Be skeptical of AI; it can be like your smart friend who says something stupid from time to time.

Say what you mean and, then, stop!

Which is what I will do now.

Thank you!

I have enjoyed our three minutes together and hope that I did not overstay my welcome.

[1] NI = “natural intelligence.”

[2] Ironic, given how difficult Kahneman can be to comprehend.

[3] Obfuscation is epidemic in our society, a topic for another article.

[4] Please note that Grammarly, the latest in AI-supported spelling and grammar checkers, did not flag any of these words.

[5] Also, outside the radar of AI.