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# Really writing
- URL: https://www.lorcandempsey.net/really-writing/
- Published: 2005-06-23T00:55:58.000Z
- Updated: 2005-06-23T00:55:58.000Z
- Author: Lorcan Dempsey
- Tags: Misc

And while talking about writing, here’s Dervala again:

> And that’s why engineers are reliable teachers of business writing. They’re not paid to make up words. They’re not afraid to commit to the end of a sentence. They care about efficiency and elegance, and see them as related. They get excited about “hard problems”, not “challenging opportunities for growth.” And they’re pleased, rather than nervous, when their readers understand exactly what they mean. \[[dervala.net: Strong Language](https://www.dervala.net/archives/000757.html?ref=lorcandempsey.net#more)\]

I still remember the admiration with which I read [The elements of programming style](https://www.worldcatlibraries.org/wcpa/ow/93dbf5a31a428953.html?ref=lorcandempsey.net) and [Software tools in Pascal](https://www.worldcatlibraries.org/wcpa/ow/76635b8b9afee143.html?ref=lorcandempsey.net) by Kernighan and Plauger. The style was at once so spare and so expressive: efficient and elegant.