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Jul 04, 2019
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Style Guide: Not Sounding Like An Evil Robot

10 min • 1,311 words • 560 comments • podcast (12 min)
Scott Alexander offers a style guide to help writers avoid sounding overly robotic or scientific when discussing everyday topics, providing specific word replacements and usage guidelines. Longer summary
Scott Alexander provides a style guide for writing about science and rationality without sounding like an 'evil robot'. He advises using everyday terms instead of scientific jargon when discussing everyday life, to avoid alienating readers. The post lists 11 specific recommendations, such as replacing 'IQ' with 'intelligence', 'humans' with 'people', and 'males/females' with 'men/women'. He also suggests avoiding terms like 'rational', 'optimal', and 'utility' in favor of more common alternatives. The guide aims to make writing more accessible and relatable, especially when discussing topics that might already seem nerdy or out-of-touch. Shorter summary
Feb 20, 2016
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Nonfiction Writing Advice

46 min • 6,375 words • 594 comments
Scott Alexander offers ten tips for effective nonfiction writing, emphasizing structure, variety, flow, and persuasion techniques. Longer summary
Scott Alexander provides advice on nonfiction writing, covering topics such as text structure, variety in writing, maintaining flow of ideas, repetition, humor, concrete examples, persuasion techniques, anticipating counterarguments, and using concept handles. He emphasizes the importance of developing instincts and not forcing the application of these rules. Shorter summary
Jun 21, 2014
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The Art Of Writing Randian Monologues

5 min • 588 words • 89 comments
Scott shares Ayn Rand's advice on writing philosophical speeches in fiction and asks for recommendations on fiction-writing books. Longer summary
Scott discusses Ayn Rand's advice on writing philosophical speeches in fiction from her book 'The Art of Fiction'. He shares a passage explaining how to determine the appropriate length for characters' philosophical monologues, emphasizing the importance of balancing abstract principles with concrete events in the story. Scott then mentions his interest in improving his fiction writing skills and asks for recommendations on good books about writing fiction, particularly those addressing practical aspects of storytelling. Shorter summary
Mar 28, 2014
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The Character’s Complaint

6 min • 798 words • 14 comments
A humorous poem where a fictional character begs their author not to write any more books about them, listing various genres and authors they'd like to avoid. Longer summary
This poem, written from the perspective of a fictional character, humorously pleads with the author not to write any more books featuring them. The character lists various genres and famous authors, explaining why they don't want to be in those types of stories or written by those authors. They promise to avoid plot hooks and dramatic situations, and suggest the author pursue other writing careers like journalism or science writing. The poem ends with the character urging the author to put down the pen and enjoy life instead of writing. Shorter summary