Bona fides / credibility: I'm an award-winning novelist and occasional journalist. (Though I'm also a TechCrunch columnist, which presumably cripples my credibility if you're a knee-jerk hater of all things TC...)
The single best way to improve your writing is to read a lot of great writing. For nonfiction, I recommend, in particular:
- George Orwell
- John McPhee
- Ryszard Kapuscinski
- Gail Collins
The second best way to improve your writing is to learn how to see what is wrong with it. (Or, as Hemingway once said, "The one thing a writer needs most is a first-rate bullshit detector.") Don't focus on writing well, at least not at first. Focus on learning how to read like a first-time reader, and on _editing_ well. In time the writing will follow.
The single best way to improve your writing is to read a lot of great writing. For nonfiction, I recommend, in particular:
- George Orwell - John McPhee - Ryszard Kapuscinski - Gail Collins
The second best way to improve your writing is to learn how to see what is wrong with it. (Or, as Hemingway once said, "The one thing a writer needs most is a first-rate bullshit detector.") Don't focus on writing well, at least not at first. Focus on learning how to read like a first-time reader, and on _editing_ well. In time the writing will follow.