Anyone Can Write!

As someone with an engineering background, I detest the notion that writing belongs within the domain of the humanities, but I detest with equal vigor the stereotype that engineers, and members of the greater STEM community, can't write. Our decision to pursue careers that grapple with the natural curiosities of our world rather than the peculiarities of man does not preclude us from communicating effectively—yet more often than not, I have found myself disappointed by writing samples from fellow technical-minded folks.

As technical people, we tend to gather around the hard rules and clear guidelines that our grammar teachers offered to us. For instance:

Use the 5 paragraph essay format.

Avoid passive voice.

Write concise sentences.

Etc.

But relying on these sort crutches have constrained so many of us in our manners of expression and prevented us from learning to properly convey our ideas. For too long, we've treated writing as a chore when we should have valued it as much as our ideas themselves.

After all, our words are our ideas. 

Despite what the voice in your head may say, for the reader, our ideas and our words are inevitably intertwined. Thus, we must choose our words carefully. We must craft sentences with the same attention that we offer to our machines and experiments. Only then can we write articles and documents that ring as true for our audience as for us, the writer.

In this blog, I intend to offer advice that I've collected from my own experiences in writing as an engineering major for school, university, applications, technical documents, and beyond. I hope that my words can help you to better craft yours.