Better writing: Keep it simple
Good writing is direct, clear and precise. It’s also unambiguous. As a writer your goal is to transmit your thoughts swiftly and accurately to the reader.
The best way to do this is by making sure there are as few barriers as possible between your message and your audience.
Forget what you learnt in school. It may be OK to impress teachers and exam markers with your grasp of complex language and obscure long words: in the real world simple, straightforward language works best. This applies to all types of writing.
Remember, not all your readers are native English speakers. And not all them are highly educated. It’s unlikely even those who are will be impressed by your fancy words and cleverness.
- If you have something worth saying (or writing) always choose short words over long ones. Words with Anglo-Saxon roots are easier to understand than ones from a Latin origin. They are also easier to spell.
- Use the smallest number of words needed. Where possible keep sentences and paragraphs short. A paragraph should contain a single idea.
- Avoid jargon and foreign words.
- Try to write in the everyday speech of ordinary people, but don’t overdo the chattiness and avoid slang.
- Most of the time the active voice is better than the passive voice.
- Learn how to use punctuation.
I’ll be expanding on these ideas in future tips. But if you have a specific question please leave a comment.
About better writing:
This is my fourth tip to help you become a better writer. The others are listed below. You don’t have to follow them all. You don’t have to agree with any of them. Simply reading them will help you think about your writing and that’s the first step to improving matters.
If you need a writer to help communicate your message, please visit my website: billbennett.co.nz
Further reading:
Better writing: Rhythm
Better writing: Companies are singular
Better writing: The inverted pyramid
Better writing: And
Better writing: Go easy on the adjectives
Better writing: Capital letters
[...] Better writing: Keep it simple (billbennettnz.wordpress.com) [...]
Better writing: Go easy on the adjectives « Knowledge Workers
26 May 09 at 5:09 pm
“The active voice is always better than the passive voice.” Bollocks. Pure unadulterated bollocks. Forgive my pithy response but I like your articles and that is the first piece of demonstrable drivel you’ve come out with.
Otherwise keep up the good work.
steve
29 Jun 09 at 1:07 am
You’re right. The active voices isn’t always better. I’ve changed the article accordingly. Thanks for pointing this out.
billbennettnz
29 Jun 09 at 8:47 am
Active voice may not always be better than the passive voice but it is always clearer who is doing what (that’s why it is “active”; you know who is doing the activity).
Passive voice may be dramatic (The sinking of the Titanic as opposed to Titanic sinks) or preferable in group writing (such as detailing the work of an academic team) but it is seldom as clear as the active voice. As such, passive voice is favoured by politicians and executives when they dodge blame for an action (The company failed to deliver a dividend; I failed to deliver shareholders a dividend). And it usually leads to longer sentences.
Nate Cochrane
27 Jul 09 at 7:40 pm
Yes. If I was instructing a young news journalist I’d tell them to write everything in the active voice until they get the hang of it. In that limited sense it is ‘always’ better.
billbennettnz
27 Jul 09 at 9:36 pm
[...] Keep it simple [...]
Acronyms – a user’s guide | Knowledge Workers
1 Sep 09 at 8:46 pm
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the active voice is preferable to the passive voice | Knowledge Workers
3 Sep 09 at 5:01 pm
[...] Keeping it simple [...]
Companies are singular | Bill Bennett
18 Sep 09 at 4:15 pm
[...] Better writing: Keep it simple [...]
Better writing: Rhythm | Bill Bennett
20 Sep 09 at 8:19 pm
[...] writing: Rhythm Better writing: Companies are singular Better writing: The inverted pyramid Better writing: Keep it simple Better writing: And Better writing: Go easy on the adjectives Better writing: [...]
use fewer adjectives to writer clearer copy | Bill Bennett
22 Sep 09 at 9:22 pm