Time to Learn About Good Writing.

Why you should simplify your writing.

What is Good Writing?

Although it may be hard to define, you know it when you see it. Good writing is enjoyable to read. It flows naturally. The words make sense, and the timing feels natural. Each topic is addressed clearly and concisely. You are never confused, and you leave with a sense of understanding and curiosity. It is addictive to read good writing. Regardless of the topic, it is simply pleasurable.

I believe that simplicity is the cornerstone of good communication. It is easier to know that someone understands your words when they are simple. Try not to use complicated language. It is almost always unnecessary.

“It’s the mark of a charlatan to try and explain simple things in complex ways and it’s the mark of a genius to explain complicated things in simple ways.” - Naval Ravikant

Before you start to write, you need to know what to write about. Anything can be interesting when described from the right angle. Ensure that what you are saying is meaningful and true to yourself. Write like you speak, and it will flow naturally. With your writing, your speaking will improve. Simple writing is achieved through removing unnecessary words. The sentence “The boy caught the ball” is easier to read than “The ball was caught by the boy.” The second sentence may seem interesting when writing, but in reality, you are making the sentence harder to understand. Language is a tool. Don’t overcomplicate it. By simplifying your writing, you ensure the largest possible audience. This is not a tradeoff. Simple writing communicates clearly.

People won’t care if your writing is useless. People are very practical. They have problems to solve. They are looking for the solution in your writing. Help them. Readers come before everything. If you don’t know who you’re writing to, how are you supposed to solve their problems? You can write to anybody. You can even write to yourself, but if you do not want to read your own writing, and you don’t know who does, then that is a problem. Learn to write for the reader, not necessarily to convey your idea, but to solve their problem.

Good writing is like good music. It is harmonious and beautiful, consistent yet interesting. It is not too repetitive. Its structure conveys meaning and shows pattern. It is organized by the sentence and by the paragraph. Everything fits together nicely. This should be the end goal of your writing: convey meaning gradually. Don’t rush it. Allow the reader to settle into your thoughts. Build the story around them. this will help them to understand.

“He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish. In the first forty days a boy had been with him. But after forty days without a fish the boy’s parents had told him that the old man was now definitely and finally salao, which is the worst form of unlucky, and the boy had gone at their orders in another boat which caught three good fish the first week.” - Ernest Hemingway from "The Old Man and the Sea"

“Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.” - Harper Lee from "To Kill a Mockingbird"

Writing improves through active practice. Learning through constant iteration and feedback is certainly the most effective way to progress. Simplify your words, simplify your thoughts. Condense topics into the most essential parts. Explain things to people with little knowledge. Any failure to understand on the part of the reader is equally a failure to explain on the part of the writer. Write often, criticize often and Improvement is guaranteed.

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