Writing is a skill that is improved through practice, so officers should seek every opportunity to write and therefore to improve their technical ability to write. Imagination and the desire for self-improvement play a large part in the effectiveness of an individual’s writing.Some people know the mechanics of how to write, but they are not very good writers because they don’t have the imagination to add the appropriate descriptive phrase, adverb, adjective, whatever it is that makes this thing live A little, makes it more readable, more appealing. I don’t think you necessarily can teach just anyone to be a professional writer, but you can help them improve, I would encourage young officers not to draw away from the normal approach to writing tasks but to accept them as a challenge to create, just as any other artist does.
Rarely is rewriting unnecessary. Write it, read it, and, as a consequence of reading it, write it again and work it and rework it and get suggestions and get it critiqued.
General Barrow, NAVAL LEADERSHIP – VOICES OF EXPERIENCE
I Like The Cut of His Jib 
Interesting post, even though it comes from the middle of the 20th century:-)Applicants to Towson University\’s MS in Professional Writing program are required to submit a writing sample that addresses their reasons for pursuing such a degree.Here\’s an extract from mine:\”…effective written communication emerged as a deciding factor in aggressive competition for scarce fiscal resources. Programs of equal merit are often decided on the strength –or the weakness– of their written justifications. I currently lead a group of exceptionally talented and hardworking intelligence analysts. They deal with complicated problem sets, complex technologies and demanding audiences. Often our biggest challenge is not understanding our adversaries, but getting the results of multidisciplinary analysis integrated into a cogent written product appropriate to the intended recipient. Our audiences are as diverse as the functions of government: a Marine Corps company commander in Baghdad is a considerably different audience than an information systems security specialist at the Federal Reserve Bank in Philadelphia, and has vastly different content and delivery needs.\”Related to this is my experience that peers of otherwise equal capability are more often differentiated by their writing ability more than any other factor.Information on Towson\’s professional writing program:http://tinyurl.com/6e3rrahttp://wwwnew.towson.edu/english/2.3%20Graduate/index.asp
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My 10 Commandments (11 actually) for writers on naval topics at the bottom of this page…http://www.usni.org/magazines/author-guidelines
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We needed an aviation skipper to be fired to balance the books. Got our lawyer, a carrier CO, and a destroyer CO. Look for a submarine skipper next.
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You could use a real tongue lashing mr captain.
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Interesting thought. You sure do have a knack for finding thought-provoking quotes. Much appreciated. V/R Jim
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Thanks Jim. Really appreciate your readership and comments.
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That is such a true statement. It's very rare that quality written work is simply written, it's normally rewritten then rewritten again.
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Next month will be my 59th published article, and there isn't one of them I wouldn't still like to go back and edit one more time.
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This is a most excellent article. I fully agree with it.At the back of the mind keep this always, \”perfect is the enemy of good enough.\” I worked for people who did this right and also for those who had to rewrite it for the umpteenth time until meaning was lost because they knew what they meant but had progressed beyond saying it anymore in their latest draft. Plus, they were usually late and missed deadlines.That said, it always helps to reread and edit any first draft.
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