Gurteen Knowledge Blog March 30, 2024, 11:04Effective writing is crucial for driving change in today’s complex, information-overloaded world. However, conventional writing wisdom often fails to equip us to engage readers and make a real impact. Larry McEnerney, the retired director of the University of Chicago’s Writing Program, provides unconventional insights that offer a roadmap for crafting … Continue reading Rethinking Writing for a Complex World Larry McEnerney’s insights on good writing
You think that writing is communicating your ideas to your readers. It is not. What is professional writing? Professional writing, what is it? It’s not conveying your ideas to your readers. It’s changing their ideas. Nobody cares what ideas you have. Credit: Larry McEnerney Comment: This quote challenges the conventional view of writing as mere … Continue reading Changing Your Readers’ Ideas Larry McEnerney
The function of your writing is to move a conversation forward. Credit: Larry McEnerney Comment: Larry states that the role of writing is to propel the conversation forward. He emphasizes that writing cannot serve this purpose if it remains unpublished or hidden away in a desk drawer. The writer’s responsibility is to actively contribute to … Continue reading The Function of Your Writing Is to Move a Conversation Forward Larry McEnerney
The function of an academic piece is not to communicate your ideas, it’s to change the ideas of an existing community. Now, sometimes you do that by communicating your ideas, sometimes you don’t. But understand what it’s for and understand that your training has been all about revealing your head. Credit: Larry McEnerney Comment: Larry … Continue reading The Function of an Academic Piece of Writing Larry McEnerney
If you do not know your readers, the particular people in a community, if you do not know these people, you are very unlikely to create value and you are very unlikely to be persuasive because persuasion depends on what they doubt. If you don’t know what they doubt, how on earth you’re gonna overcome … Continue reading Knowing Your Readers Larry McEnerney
Unlike a journalist, almost surely you are using your writing process to help yourself think. In other words, the thinking that you’re doing is at such a level of complexity that you have to use writing to help yourself do your thinking. Credit: Larry McEnerney Comment: Larry argues that, unlike the common belief that thinking … Continue reading You Have to Use Writing to Help Yourself Do Your Thinking Larry McEnerney
If it’s clear and useless, it’s useless. It’s organized and useless, it’s useless. It’s persuasive and useless, it’s useless. That’s the way it is. Credit: Larry McEnerney Source: The Craft of Writing Effectively | Larry McEnerneyPosts: Larry McEnerneyCrafting Writing That Drives Change Larry McEnerney’s insights on good writingBooks: Larry McEnerneyChanging Your Readers’ Ideas Larry McEnerneyCrafting … Continue reading If It’s Clear and Useless – It’s Useless Larry McEnerney
Critical Thinking The Vector of Great Conversations Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter AI tools are becoming common in writing, raising questions about their role and ethics. Many worry that using AI might undermine creativity or authenticity. In reality, AI can enhance clarity, improve efficiency, and help us focus on crafting ideas that resonate, … Continue reading Writing with AI Isn’t Necessarily Cheating Why it’s a legitimate tool for professionals and creators
Diplomacy ## Write to Think ** Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter Conventional writing wisdom is often misguided. Larry McEnerney, the retired director of the University of Chicago’s Writing Program, challenges outdated conceptions of good writing that can stifle bloggers and academic writers alike. His unconventional insights provide the key to engaging readers, making … Continue reading Crafting Writing That Drives Change Larry McEnerney’s insights on good writing
