Want to know a secret? There are two simple rules to follow to make sure your writing is applicable and accessible for any audience you’re writing for. Since it’s Christmas, I’m in the giving mood and am going to share with you the rules and their uses.
Keep in mind, these will work for any audience and any niche, so don’t go dismissing this post as “not for you” quite yet. There are multitudes of tips and tricks and strategies and tactics you can implement when you write and they will all make you better a better writer, but keep these two in mind when approaching any topic and before you put a single word down in WordPress or on Tumblr.
When it comes to good writing, you have to keep things simple and clear.
That’s it. Perfect those qualities and you’ll be writing for the rest of your life and pleasing people all over the world with it. So, what does it mean to be simple and clear?
Simple
What exactly does it mean to keep your writing simple? Does it mean to never use complex sentence structure (complex is the opposite of simple, after all)? Or maybe it means to never use words more than three syllables. Writing simply could possibly mean that keep all posts under 500 words and never let sentences have more than one noun-verb set.
Actually, what I mean by Simple in your writing is sticking to a structure and communicating a single point. So many times writers try to pull in a thousand different ideas into their posts like they’re writing against the apocalypse. Calm down, the Spanish Inquisition isn’t about to bust down your door and drag you away from your laptop because of your rebellious ideals.
Decide what your point is going to be for each blog post and stick to it. Communicate it clearly (discussed next) and effectively, but don’t go off on a bunch of different tangents. We (your readers) don’t care and will get bored with you when you try. You’re not James Joyce, and even if you were, we wouldn’t put up with it in a blog post.
Writing simply doesn’t mean that you can’t experiment with your writing, though. Write poems, draw pictures, create video songs, or whatever else you want to do to create content to supplement your point. Just stick to the point.
For example, this post is about two tips that will make your writing better in 2012 (writing simply and clearly). You won’t catch me going off on a five paragraph diatribe about the SOPA vote, which I also care deeply about, because I’m sticking to my point.
To sum up, I shall quote one of my graduate professor’s favorite acronyms: “KISS – Keep It Simple, Stupid.”
Clear
This one is more esoteric. WRiting clearly will depend on your writing style and audience more than writing simply, but it still applies to all areas of writing. Stephen King is famous for writing layers upon layers of detail into his stories while on the other side of the spectrum, Chuck Palahniuk barely uses any words that aren’t explicitly necessary to tell his stories.
Which one is writing more clearly?
The answer is that they both are. You can’t get to the end of a Stephen King book and not know the story he told, just like you can’t get through a Chuck Palahniuk book and not grasp the sense of his characters and themes.
Whether you use metaphors, poems, drawings or plain old words, make sure you are finding a way to relay your point clearly to your audience.
Don’t let them get to the end of the post and say, “Okay, now what were they talking about?” It’s your fault as the author when that happens. Don’t blame the stupidity or density of your readers if people don’t get your point.
Make it your point to be clear in getting that point across. Use whatever tools you feel most comfortable with, just don’t stop until people know what the hell you’re talking about. Then move on.
Write short posts or long posts, I don’t care, but pull your readers onto the same page you’re standing on.
Happy Holidays
So, there you have it, the tips that will make you a better writer in 2012. Even if you feel like you already knew those tips, work on getting better at them in 2012. You’re not an expert yet or you’d have millions of subscribers and wouldn’t be here reading about it. : )
We won’t talk again until after Christmas, so consider that your blogging gift from me. I look forward to discussing all our great gifts next week.
How do you try to write simply and clearly for your audience? Does it help if you have an outline? Do you just sit and write what’s in your head? How do you pull people into your world?
Thoughts?
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About Joey Strawn
G'Day Joey,
Been away; just catching up. I can't let this go by without mentioning "The Technique of Clear Writing" by Robert Gunning. It was first published in the 1950s and, as far as I know is still available.
I was a young Training Officer back in 1971 when my boss gave me a copy. It remains the best book of its kind I've ever seen.
Gunning has 10 Principles of Clear Writing. The last is "Write to express, not to impress." I guess that it was through Gunning that I came to understand that writing is mainly about the reader, not the writer. I wish more bloggers could grasp that reality!
Thank for raising this crucial issue. Have a great 2012 and........make sure you have fun.
Regards
Leon
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