Almost All You Will Ever Need to Know About Writing

Use the word CABLE, and a vivid picture of it, to remember the keys to reaching your audience.

C  CLEAR Say it so the reader gets it the first time. Be direct and specific. Use active verbs and familiar nouns. If you must use a technical or unfamiliar word, translate it into words your reader understands. While learning the craft, stick with words and grammatical forms you can handle confidently.

A  ACCURATE Check facts and figures constantly. Pay attention to names. Identify your sources. The reader wants to know how you know what you think you know. Separate fact from opinion. Know what you are talking about, since usually someone somewhere knows more about it than you do.

B BRIEF Say it until you have said it, then stop. Make every word tell. Keep asking yourself, “How can I say this in fewer words?” Write tight. Readers love writers who save them time.

L LOGICAL (Organization, that is) Put your ideas in sensible order. Two common forms are Chronological (first this happened, then that) and Geographical (discuss the mountains, then the foothills, the rivers, the plains, ending at the seashore.) Other useful structures: Priority (from most important to least) Size (largest to smallest) and Complexity (start simple and work up). You might even use Alphabetical or Numerical order. The clearer the structure, the better the flow of ideas from your mind to the reader’s, the essence of communication.

E EFFECTIVE Does it work? Will it produce the desired result with the intended audience? Experience teaches you the answer. Look at how other writers have handled similar problems. Pay attention to whatever readers say. Find informed evaluation, but even an ignorant attack can teach you.

Some Other Tips

Keep your writing in shape with regular practice. Flabby writers huff and puff; trim writers breeze along.

Write first, evaluate later. “Write when drunk, edit when sober.”

The beginning and the end (of a sentence, a paragraph and a document) are places of emphasis. Put your best stuff where it does the most good.

Read good writing. Writers are like athletes. The best make it look easy.

© Dennis Briskin
Catalyst Creative Services