Writing for Reading

March 20, 2017 by AES | Categories: Writing No Comments ↓

Written hodgepodge! Irrelevant, poorly-written text is everywhere these days. The question is: Are you a contributor? Following are some thoughts and ideas that may help you become a more valued writer.

Background

Back when, there were only a few people who could call themselves writers: those who wrote letters, and those who wrote books or, later, wrote for magazines and newspapers. Both the writers and their readers were, by and large, fairly literate people. The books were usually strictly edited, so the quality was reasonably good. The letters were mostly unedited, but barring scribbled notes, they tended to be well thought out and well written. Letters by and from the famous, or about to become famous, were saved. Many are now in treasured collections.

Problem

Then we come to today. Everyone is writing (or texting). Technology has made it easy to create content and distribute it at the push of a button. Whether it’s a simple e-mail, a report or a paper, or a book, the modern world is flooded with words.

On the other side, everyone is reading, almost all day long—whether it’s printed on paper or delivered to an electronic screen, large or small.

The problem occurs at the intersection of these two actions. Ideally, the writer should set down his or her thoughts or meaning—efficiently and effectively. When that happens, those meaningful thoughts pass to the reader’s mind. That’s called communication (“making common”, or “sharing”).

However, since most of today’s writers were never taught how to write efficiently and meaningfully, the writer’s thoughts are often buried in a sea of words, and the reader is left with “Huh?”

The problem is that, with the extreme volume of transmitted words today—think electronic devices like phones and tablets, and mediums like e-mail and the internet—writers often sacrifice effectiveness for efficiency. Just get it written and get it out. No editing—not by another party, and, often, not even by the writer. Add to that the “codes” used in some text messages (e.g., LOL, “laughing out loud” or “little old lady”?) and the writing becomes even more uncommunicative.

Solution

The answer is as simple as it is polite. Stop for a moment and think about your reader. Think that his or her time is more valuable than yours. Think about it this way: You’re providing a resource or a service and your reader is your customer. If you were selling shoes or insurance, would you treat your customer the way you write? Would you use insider jargon or big words? Would you want to baffle your customer with, uh, you know, and waste his or her time? Or, would you like to make a sale? That’s the idea. Preparation and due diligence.

You may start out by writing for yourself, expressing some thoughts or ideas that you’d like to communicate with others—for information sharing, for fun, for profit, for fame, for whatever reason. However, if your writing is designed to reach someone else—one or more readers—you have write to be read—easily, quickly, and effectively. You need to transmit your thoughts in the fewest and most meaningful words possible.

Try some of the following:

Keep the words simple and easy to understand.
Avoid jargon.
Keep your sentences and paragraphs short and to the point.
Use bullets where they make sense.

A simple test would be: How can you effectively share your message in the fewest number of words or characters possible? After your first draft, even for short e-mails, cut the “fat” mercilessly, so that only the “meat” of your message remains.

Conclusion

Your readers will not only more easily understand what you’re trying to say, but they’ll thank you for not wasting their time plowing through gibberish.