Clear writing

Douglas Pereira

Writing is thinking

  • The fuzzy idea dies on the page
  • If the paragraph is long, the thought is not done
  • Delete the throat-clearing

Write for the person who was not in the room

  • Names, not pronouns
  • Decision, then context
  • Links to the thing, not "as discussed"

Notes beat memory

  • Slack is not an archive
  • Future you is a stranger
  • One short doc prevents ten meetings

Tone can be human

  • Direct is not rude
  • Jargon is not intelligence
  • Say the quiet risk out loud