Steps to improve your writing (2020)

I can write fairly well, but it takes so much time and energy.

How do I become more confident and efficient with my writing? That’s what I’m curious about.

Good writing, like anything worth pursuing to a certain level of quality, takes practice. Lots and lots of practice.

Pascal, in a letter, famously wrote something along the lines of "I have made this longer than usual because I have not had time to make it shorter."

More practically, I think Pinker offers great advice in his "The Sense of Style".

"If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter"

So weird; many upvotes, not a single comment.

OK, here's one:

This is a great article. I hope I obey these precepts in my own writing.

Especially the one about attribution: "It's been said that..." or "Experts say..." or "many people think that..." is garbage writing.