A book, long in my library, is On Writing Well, by William Zinsser. I would bet you've made friends with it as well. Yes, writing well, like any achievement, requires practice, and lots of it. But one must still know where one is going, that is, what features constitute a well-written piece. One may even have a personal hierarchy of importance for the larger features, such as, in my case, is my thought understandable? If it's the least obtuse, rephrasing is mandatory. Second the linear progression of thought must never be violated without a traffic sign taking the reader on a short trip before returning to the main highway. Proper and effective use of the languages "logical operators", like however, but, also, nevertheless, and a bucket full more, must be in place to tie thoughts and ideas together temporally and in logical relationships. These and several other "skeletal features" are a starting point to ensure your ideas register clearly. After this, the real work begins with word choices, frugality of expression, etc. -- the features that give you your personal style and capture the reader.
I think you do a great job, as I can always quickly follow your logical progressions, and never have to stop to clear up ambiguities, etc. in your meaning. Your advice is "write on" -- so you don't lose your edge. :-)
A book, long in my library, is On Writing Well, by William Zinsser. I would bet you've made friends with it as well. Yes, writing well, like any achievement, requires practice, and lots of it. But one must still know where one is going, that is, what features constitute a well-written piece. One may even have a personal hierarchy of importance for the larger features, such as, in my case, is my thought understandable? If it's the least obtuse, rephrasing is mandatory. Second the linear progression of thought must never be violated without a traffic sign taking the reader on a short trip before returning to the main highway. Proper and effective use of the languages "logical operators", like however, but, also, nevertheless, and a bucket full more, must be in place to tie thoughts and ideas together temporally and in logical relationships. These and several other "skeletal features" are a starting point to ensure your ideas register clearly. After this, the real work begins with word choices, frugality of expression, etc. -- the features that give you your personal style and capture the reader.
I think you do a great job, as I can always quickly follow your logical progressions, and never have to stop to clear up ambiguities, etc. in your meaning. Your advice is "write on" -- so you don't lose your edge. :-)