You don’t have to be a professional writer to need to be clear with the things you write. You can be a parent writing an absence note for your child, a homeowner sending directions along with an invitation to a house party, a sales rep taking a customer’s order, or even a lawyer writing a contract.
You can get people lost, mess up a sensitive delivery, or have people sign an agreement they may come to regret. A journalist can get the wrong story out and a fiction writer may lose a reader’s compassion for a character if the words don’t say what is really meant.
Never assume that you will get a chance to explain what you meant to say. Once the words are written and the reader absorbs them, the ideas are planted and opinions are formed. Make sure that your reader understands your meaning. Make sure that you can understand it as well. Read what you’ve written, have a trusted friend read it as well.
Keep your words simple and natural – keeping the words simple does not mean writing for children (unless of course that is your target group), but avoid using big and unfamiliar words just because you think it makes you sound smart. If you find yourself using a word you are not used to then don’t skip looking up the meaning or use a thesaurus to make sure the words are indeed saying what you think they are. Unless you are using contradiction as a form of drama, make sure that your thoughts, ideas and words are consistent.
When you begin your self-edits do it piecemeal, your subconscious will automatically see what you meant to say and not necessarily what is actually there. One suggestion that was made to me long ago and I find works well is to read a paragraph at a time from the end to the beginning. By breaking up the natural order of what you’ve written, you will force you mind to read things fresh(er) and with a more critical eye. Also, put your finished piece down and walk away from it, then come back to it a day later or a week later – don’t let too much time pass – and read it as if you were not the one who wrote it.
Writing exercise: Write a few paragraphs about any subject. Now see if you can re-write each paragraph with no more than one to two sentences (not endless run-on sentences, please). Include all of the pertinent information by cutting out unnecessary descriptive terms and redundancy. Although your final words may sound dry because you are so limited, it is a good way to learn to tighten your thoughts.
Writing prompt: Take any older coin from your wallet, purse or pocket. Take notes and write a paragraph while that coin “tells” you about its recent travels.
