Good Writing Is Simple Writing

By Author: Daniel O`Connor
Total Articles: 14
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You might understand what you`re writing, but does anyone else?

When you write something, are you confident you`re getting the message across effectively?

How can you be sure?

Well, you can`t. Not completely. But one step you can take to give yourself the best possible chance of being understood by your reader is to write simply. Don`t tie sentences and paragraphs up with long constructions that leave the reader wondering what your point was. Don`t use big, multi-syllable words just because you can.

In short, write like you speak!

Readability is what you should be aiming for at all times. If your reader doesn`t understand what you`re trying to get across, it`s not their fault. It`s yours. So before you post a blog entry, send an email or submit an essay to your college tutor, check through to see if it`s possible to make it simpler, more brief and easier to follow.

But isn`t that dumbing down? Isn`t that just bringing everything down to the lowest common denominator? No, it's not. Not at all. Mark Twain, the writer of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, once wrote `I didn`t have time to ...
... write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.`

Brevity is difficult. Writing something that`s simple to understand is not at all, well... simple! But it`s worth it.

Plain-language trainer Willam DuBay wrote about readability in 2004 and quoted the following rules of documentation writing. You can use these rules for everything you write, whatever the medium:

- Use short, simple, familiar words.
- Avoid jargon.
- Use culture-and-gender-neutral language.
- Use correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
- Use simple sentences, active voice, and present tense.
- Begin instructions in the imperative mode by starting sentences with an action verb.
- Use simple graphic elements such as bulleted lists and numbered steps to make information visually accessible.

And here's one more he didn't mention:

- Don't use clichés. They just make your writing look tired and unimaginative.

And I haven`t finished yet! Even a writer as great as George Orwell was moved to write about the `Rules of Writing`. Two of his rules are directly relevant to this article:

- Never use a long word where a short one will do.

- If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.

Given you something to think about?

Here`s a really useful (and free) online resource to check how easy your writing is to understand. Cut and paste your text into the top box, press `Submit` and in a couple of seconds you`ll get a report on how well you`ve done. The metrics it uses are all U.S.-based, but still completely relevant for English-speakers from other countries.

http://www.editcentral.com/gwt/com.editcentral.EC/EC.html

Get simple!