Communicating in writing

We humans communicate a lot. Increasingly so in writing. This post is exists because I am trying to find books, guides, courses, lessons and expert advice on how to get better at communicating, in writing.

I am looking for ways to improve my (and others) communication in the context of chats, forums, emails, issues and other situations where we communicate asynchronously and iteratively.

See, a lot of people read "Looking for help communicating in writing" and their mind instantly goes to something like The Elements of Style or similar guides on grammar and style. However these guides are aimed at writing where there is no iteration. For example newspaper articles, scientific papers, and newsletters. When writing these I communicate but I do not really expect a back and forth with some (or all) of the readers to start.

The kind of "communicating in writing" that I have in mind is when you expect that the person receiving your communication will reply and that you will reply to their reply. Maybe at some point a third person will join. And then you drop off. There are several iterations to the whole thing and who takes part changes over time. You might even call it a "conversation".

This kind of conversation is different from what the "Elements of Style" authors had in mind. It is also different from a conversation where we use our voices and see each other. This is why I think this is a unique kind of communication and as a result there are different tricks of the trade, bits of advice and points to consider.

What are your favourite resources and ways to get better at this particular "written conversation" style of communication? Have you taken a course that is great? Read a guide?

This post started because I realised that it didn't fit in a tweet, but that tweet got some good replies already! Post more there if you know other resources.