Nathaniel requested my answer to the above question. I share that response in this post for anyone who has trouble writing.
Nathaniel, I have good news for you. Everyone, no matter what their IQ, struggles to write non-fiction or fiction in a way that is engaging, succinct, and well-structured. If you visit the Hemingway House in Key West, you will see various versions of Ernest Hemingway’s writing with numerous changes and editorial adjustments. He is reputed to have created almost 100 versions of some of his books. Similarly, the famous poems of many English literary giants like John Donne and John Keats are on display in the British Museum in London, revealing copious cross outs and editorial changes. Composing an excellent essay or story, like composing a beautiful piece of music requires significant time, effort, and refinements.
Structure is probably the most important part of writing. Especially in non-fiction, the reader must understand the essence of what you are saying, and be able to follow through a sequence of paragraphs that build to a conclusion. In my writing of more than 50 books, I have found it helpful to write a brief bulleted outline, stating the points I wish to make and then organizing them in a logical sequence. Once the writing begins, it helps to let the ideas flow without fixing your vocabulary or sentence structure until you’ve finished the first draft.
To prepare the second draft, attempt to see what you’ve written through the eyes of your prospective reader, asking if this is interesting, entertaining and flowing logically from one paragraph to the next. Make adjustments to the content and then go back to smooth out any bumps in the presentation that seem to destroy the flow.
Then repeat the process above, checking that you’ve covered the bulleted points you made in your original plan. When this is complete, you can correct any grammar errors or redundant statements. The number of times you revise your writing before releasing the final version will depend on how you intend the writing to be used. For example; is it an essay for an English class or a story to be published?
A sample of my writing using the plan described above, is accessible at: Intelligence, IQ & Perception: Chapter 1 Intelligence, IQ & Perception: Chapter 1 I hope this helps.
Agreed. Communication is key to any situation and the more abstract or unbelievable the situation. The more advanced the communication needs to be. How you communicate also depends on who you want to communicate with. I prefer to give short answers to most questions, essentially making more of an impact with those who are reading. Or cutting to the point.
Your comment “How you communicate also depends on who you want to communicate with,” is consistent with Marshall McLuhan’s declaration, “The medium is the message.” When communicating on social media with friends, we can be casual, less structured and less concerned with grammatical correctness. However, when communicating with an academic community, the delivery must be more formal, the language more precise, and the message supported with references to pertinent research. Thank you for your comments.