Can Twitter make you a better writer?
Asked by
Snarp (
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April 2nd, 2010
The standard assumption is that writing 140 character tweets is going to make everyone incapable of writing anything more than 140 characters, that it is going to be the death of the English language. I realize that it has the potential to increase the use of annoying text and chat abbreviations, but I think it also has the potential to serve as a tool to improve writing skills. They say brevity is the soul of wit, and often it is. Editors will tell writers to omit unnecessary words. Often they are right. I went through a phase of writing lots of letters to the editor, and I think it improved my writing since I had to really cut out anything that wasn’t useful and on point. With Twitter I realize I sometimes do the same thing. Today for example I started a tweet with “I’m kind of annoyed…” When my tweet got too long I realized “kind of” was entirely superfluous in addition to weakening my point. Can Twitter serve as a valuable tool in learning to write concisely?
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13 Answers
If you avoid the trap of using chat speak and abbreviations that you make up, I think it does help you avoid unnecessary verbiage. I especially like the users who write those ‘very short stories’. Great exercise.
@rahm_sahriv Do you follow @BrentSpiner? I love the way he tells stories occasionally, not in a single tweet, but serialized across a number of tweets.
@ChazMaz I was not addressing you. I was answering the question.
@Snarp Yes, I do follow him :) He is funny. If you look up #vss you will find some very short stories. Not logged in and I forget the screenname of the short story folks I follow.
@marinelife – I know. :-)
YOUR answer was solid. And funny. ;-)
ya lol it maed me amazing! i wuld rite more but i wuld run out f space, 140 is a smll # :(((
The best way to write concisely is to write concisely…anywhere.
Brevity is always the soul of wit.
I wouldn’t go as far to say it can make you a better writer, however it can help you get the word out about your writings.
James Joyce: “Write as if each word cost you a shilling.”
Most anything can make you a better writer if you use it correctly.
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