Why Is Writing Hard?

TL;DR: Writing is hard because it's different from talking.

Every now and then, when I'm talking to someone, I have to pause and think about how to say what I'm about to say. But that's rare. Most of the time, I can just talk.

Writing is different.

I'm an experienced writer, so I can usually write with ease. But even I sometimes get stuck in what I'm going to call genre pressure: that feeling that you have to use the right constructions and words to sound like the kind of writing you're doing. If you're doing a business presentation, you feel like utilize is better than use. If you're writing fiction, you want to pick sophisticated adverbs to make the setting come alive. If you’re writing documentation, you need the right words to make it sound official.

It starts in English class, when the teacher tells you not to use personal pronouns in formal writing. That's the point where you¹ start to feel that there's a huge and mysterious web of unwritten rules that we're always in danger of breaking without realizing it.

But what is formal writing, anyway?

Formal means that you're following official rules. The word form is there for a reason. Business writing is a form. A novel is a form. A tweet is a form. There are indeed different rules for different forms. A limerick has to rhyme; a haiku doesn't.

Here's the news flash: there are no rules that demand artificially puffed up language.

When you start a business report, you don't have to look for the most "formal" way to say "We utilized the following methodologies." Believe it or not, you can just say "Here's what we did." If that seems too casual, you can just use the word "Method" as a section heading and then describe your approach.

If you're writing fiction, well, don't get me started on adverbs. They're useful, but they're not a cure-all.

The form of a specific type of writing serves a specific purpose. With fiction, you want to help the reader place themselves in the story. With business writing, you want to show specific facts to make a strong point. In technical writing, you want to gradually induce expertise. In none of those cases does the language need to be complicated.

People think writing is hard because they think written language must be more complex than spoken words. The opposite is true: writing is hard because written language must be simpler and more precise. You never get it right on the first draft. Unlike talking, which is all first draft, writing involves editing and rewriting.

But if talking is a first draft, then why not write your first draft the same way you talk? That makes the first draft almost as easy as talking. Think about what you'd say to a person sitting beside you, and put those words down as they come to you.

Once you have a first draft, you've got a starting point. The next step is revising—the iterative process of making the draft better and better. This is the point where you can focus on the more difficult refinements. That way, you aren’t wasting effort on complex rules and tactics while you’re just trying to get information written down.

Writing is hard because you’re doing it the hard way! Just write your first draft the way you talk. It's easier.

1. See what I did there?