Alternatively titled, what I miss about your bad spelling.
I loved the maths, science, and programming in high school. I snobbishly thought that these subjects delivered some greater excellence than the humanities. This of course due to the fact that one could be correct when it came to each. When a test came back with a disappointing mark there was no one to blame but yourself.
Alternatively, I remember one of my highest marks for English was when I had not actually studied and largely bullshitted my way through an exam. Bouyed by the good mark, I really knuckled down for the next, only to get one of my worst.
Needless to say, I just didn't get it. I think my english teacher would reasoanbly agree.
Since then though, i've written tens of thousands of words in some variant of persuasive and technical writing. As a software engineer by trade, a lot of your time is spent both creating a solution - and then sometimes far more time in convincing other people that your solution actually has legs. This practice eventually led me to realise that though I am no master at all of the english language, some basic proficiency in being able to express ideas is easily in the same level of importance of the understanding of maths, sciences, and more binary right/wrong subjects.
I truly do find absolute joy in compliments in my writing these days. Perhaps spurned from a childhood of having a very loquatious family who enjoyed bringing a certain grandiloquence to their writing (don't worry, I used a thesaurus). But those compliments to me find a way to tell that younger Paul that adulthood can bring improvement in basic skills, and eventually move towards pride.
I have writers I admire, there are some that seem to have a power over the langauge that makes the sentences dance. When reading books to my three year old at bedtime, I find myself enjoying books almost exclusively based on how wonderfully the author tugs at the beats, rhythim and feeling of each syllable.
So get to your point Paul! We all know that there's a skill here, why are you discussing it?
The elephant in the room at the moment around anything written is - AI. It's truly trivial to turn terrible text into treasured troves of tomes. And do it well. In my personal and professional life this is more and more regular. I sympathise with the many reasons that people choose to do this. English as a second language sounds hard enough, let alone attempting to win hearts & minds at work. Following that, it saves time to turn an idea into a document that other people can believe in.
I don't.
Though I don't claim to be a good writer, in fact i'm simply hoping my number of gramatical errors remains workable... I do like my voice. It's mine. Exclusively. I make stupid turns of phrases, I am always attracted to alliteration. I'll throw a reference in to a book i like, or a recent going on, maybe an in joke.
To me, this is my writing accent. It's not a ocker australian, it's not aligned with geograpical boundaries - but to those who read my writing regularly, i believe that after some period the author name becomes redundant. My words i choose, the pacing i set, the way i like to present ideas and my complete misunderstanding of the appropriate use of a comma - all are mine.
More and more, I find that I read accentless writing. It's precise and somewhat perfect. It's the equivaelnt of porcelain. It may make a joke, but it feels like one that's been through a committee. I'd prefer a bad joke. Or one that tried, but didn't land. The gracelessness that comes with failure is human. It also means that authors blend together and in turn lost their individual identity.
So, here's my wish.
Lean into your humanness, and be honest when you want to achieve it. I will buy that an AI can deliver you a PRD that makes everyone clear... but if you want to have me fly your flag, and o captain my captain I need to see you there. I will fully accept your human failings, as I hope you accept my own. In those I see you. I see your preference of "U" over "you" even though we aren't on the old Nokia 3310. I see your love of a good dot point over prose. I see that your passion when writing about something you love.
You have your own accent when you speak, my ask is to keep it as you write. It gives you identity. Keep it. Tell me your bad joke.
What do you call a fish with no eyes? .
.
.
Fsh.