Writing Broadside

Here, with the author's permission, is the broadside from WritingBroadside, in RichardGabriel's PatternsOfSoftware.

R.P.G.'s Writing Broadside

Your profession includes writing, so learn how to write. No one is naturally talented enough to get by on instinct alone.
Study writing by reading books on writing. I suggest Style: Toward Clarity and Grace by Joseph M. Williams.
Study writing by reading good writers, and not just science writers. Read DonKnuth but also John McPhee and Rick Bass. Try to understand how they do it. Think about the good writing you read.
Learn proper grammar; there are zillions of books on grammar.
Get a couple of good dictionaries and use them. I have about a half dozen I use routinely. Some poets look up every single word in their poems to make sure they are using language accurately.
Learn to revise and edit; there are books on this, but I suggest workshops.
Read poetry. Nothing teaches you better the power of good writing and the skills to write compressed sentences. Poetry workshops are full of fiction and essay writers who are there to learn language skills.
Practice writing. Write every day. If you are a top-notch computer scientist, you probably read technical papers nearly every day. You are a writer too, so practice.
Workshop your writing. Writers learn by workshopping. Every night across the country writers sit in groups of 3 to 20, reading and critiquing each other's work. Not only are these professional writers but amateurs who simply want to improve their diaries.

Good stuff. Regarding the last item, it seems like a WikiWikiWorkshop would be a cool thing. Would it be possible to do it here, or should "someone" set up a separate WikiWiki? -- BillTrost

As an engineer, I am not often called on to tell an epic story of good versus evil or capture a universal truth in poetry, but I do have to interact with others (even non-engineers, oh the horror). For others in similar circumstances, I would suggest:

Your profession includes explaining ideas and influencing decisions--in short, communicating. Practice this whenever you can. Everyone could be a better communicator.
Study different forms of writing, not just books. Web pages and blogs communicate with varying degrees of detail and formality. Study how various writers present their ideas and respond to others (when discussions are present).
Consider the medium when communicating. The careful considerations and editing for a journal article demand a much different discipline than the Instant Message.
Use automatic tools for spelling and grammar (when available), but take time to re-read your work whenever possible.
A first draft usually contains all (or most) of your ideas, but rarely are they organized or coherent. On large and important works make another pass after putting all the material down to re-organize and tie things together, preferably after taking a break from writing. If its getting shorter, its probably getting clearer and better.
Practice communicating. Engage other writers in conversation and find a forum to publish your own writing if you feel up to it. Even the leaders in our field, reporters (at major magazines), and total strangers will respond when the topic connects with them (and their not too busy otherwise). The best results is when the communication is timely (like right after an article has been published), is respectful, and combines informed opinion with personal conviction.

-- DerekWoolverton