No doubt, you’ve heard many folks harp on about the virtues of plain writing. I can’t say I blame them. If everyone wrote in such plain, easy-to-read manner, after all, we’d have considerably much less confusion in the world. No kidding.
Can you imagine how convenient it will be to finally go through a contract that was written with simple language like a magazine piece? How about government forms that was as easy to read as the surveys in Cosmo? If everything was written in plain English, there will hardly be cause for confusion in most written documents, as the case is now.
If you examined all materials written with the plain writing mindset, you’ll notice six qualities that stand out.
- There’s a clear statement of purpose.
- It has well-organized major points.
- It uses headings and lists to highlight important points.
- Shorts sentences and paragraphs are employed.
- It avoids jargon and specialized terms.
- There’s an overwhelming focus on expression, rather than attempts to impress.
Mindfully writing using plain language, coupled with an effective grammar software, is literally all you need to communicate clear ideas in any type of document. We suggest using that combination as a starting point for your own work.