Good Writing Is Simple Writing

You understand what you’re writing. 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.

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.

Here’s a really useful online resource to check how you’re doing. Cut and paste your text into the top box, press “Submit” and within 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!

You’re very welcome to reprint any of the Good Business articles on your website and/or newsletters free of charge, provided:

• you don’t change the article in any way
• you include the writing credit below (including all website links)

Daniel O'Connor is a website copywriter, advertising copywriter and marketing copywriter using the name Daniboy. He can be contacted in the UK on +44-1892-518269 or at mail@daniboy.com. Visit http://www.daniboy.com for further details of his services, including bespoke article writing, and more free reprint articles.

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