Write Clearly

Think of your writing as a pool of water. Readers look at the surface of your pool and seek to find their own reflection there, but they also look into the depths of your pool to gain greater insight. If your writing is murky or cloudy, they can't see your meaning as clearly; however, if your writing is clear, they can experience your meaning in profound ways. One of the ways writing gets murky is if you try to say too much in one sentence or paragraph. Readers can get lost if your writing becomes too convoluted or circuitous. Write simply and cleanly with generally one major idea per sentence and one subject per paragraph. Your writing can also get murky if it is nonsensical. This is writing that usually involves grammatical issues such as subject/verb disagreement, commonly confused words, sentence fragmentation, etc. These types of errors can confuse readers and cause them to miss your message entirely. Another issue that can make your writing murky is writing that contradicts itself. Make sure that your ideas and details are consistent throughout and present a clear message. Write as if you are teaching readers. Teachers strive to communicate everything clearly so that their meaning is easily grasped. A writer's goal should be the same. Keep your writing focused and insightful and readers will see your message through your lens.