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5 Tips to Ensure Your Written Message is Clear

November 29, 2016 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

by Barbara McNichol

No matter what your written message—a sensitive email, a report, a proposal, even chapters in a book—you aim to make it easy for readers to understand. But how can you ensure what you actually write is what you intended?

Ignore this question at your peril. No matter how busy you are or how quickly you want to advance your projects, slow down. When you rush to action, you risk having to redo, revise, and explain. That doesn’t save you time!

Turn These Writing Tips into Habitsmaking your writing clear

What can you do improve the readability of your message as you write it? Turn the following five tips into strong habits:

  1. Write short words and limit the total number in a sentence. No more than 21 words per sentence is a good rule of thumb.
  2. Include one major point per paragraph and one major concept per chapter. Don’t try to do too much in either one.
  3. Use adjectives and adverbs sparingly so the strongest, most salient ones can stand out in a crowd.
  4. Break up large blocks of type with subheads—enough that readers can skim the subheads to quickly find what they’re looking for.
  5. Don’t change the point of view within a paragraph (e.g., switching from a “we” to “you” orientation). When you have to shift the viewpoint, start a new paragraph.

Always Proofread Your Written Message

Most important, always proofread your own message and, if possible, have a colleague check it, too. As you reread it, ask: “Is this exactly what I intended?” If not, rework it until you’re satisfied your message can be easily understood by others.

The benefit to you? You will save time in the long run.

What proofreading habits are most effective for you? Share them here.

Filed Under: Writing Tips Tagged With: improve readability, intentional writing, nonfiction business books, professional book editing, proofreading tips, strong writing habits, Writing Tips

5 Tips to Improve the Readability of Your Writing

March 6, 2016 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

by Barbara McNichol

Eschew obfuscation.

Translation: avoid the needless use of complicated words in your writing.

It can be easy to lose sight of your intent as a writer.

Lots of common mistakes are made when you’re writing everything from daily emails and memos to persuasive articles or nonfiction books. As a result, your readers can lose the message in the tall weeds.

There’s little point in spending energy putting your thoughts in writing if nobody reads them and gets inspired to think, feel, or do something—right?

I was reminded of this after working through the first few chapters of a new book I was editing. I’d made so many changes, the draft was littered with markings.

Discouraged when he saw so many edits, my client asked, “But what did you think of the message?”

In truth, I did connect with the writer’s content. But I got mired knee-deep in the swampy weeds of his writing style, and I knew his audience would, too.

It was too wordy. Too long-winded. Keeping sight of the message from my vantage point in the weeds was tedious and frustrating.

Have you experienced that, too? If so, how can you increase readability in your writing? How do you chop down those weeds to create a clear line of sight for your readers?

Here are my 5 writing tips to keep you (and your audience) out of the tall weeds:

1. Think Twitter.

Write short words and limit the number of words—preferably fewer than 21 in a sentence. Your audience is used to consuming content on social media feeds. They’re paying attention, but you have to share your message in a way that matches their reading expectations.

2.Think one-and-one.

Keep your writing to one major point per paragraph and one major concept per chapter if you’re writing a book. Don’t try to get your entire message across in one paragraph. Give the reader a chance to digest an idea, concept, or a call to action. And remember, no more than 21 words in a sentence!

3. Spare the sauce.

Don’t be heavy-handed with adjectives and adverbs—the descriptive words. Use them sparingly so the strongest, most salient ones will stand out in the crowd. Your reader’s time is valuable, especially in an email or memo. Don’t waste it; chisel the point clearly!

4. Don’t be afraid of a breakup.

It’s a good idea to break up large blocks of text. It gives your readers “mental white space” to process what they’ve just read. Use sub-headings that indicate what’s coming next. This helps them scroll down quickly until they find the topic area that interests them most.

5. Mind the view.

Don’t change the point of view within a paragraph. Jumping from “we” to “you” is confusing. If you have to shift the pronoun reference, simply start a new paragraph. This gives your readers a chance to adjust their point of view and keep them on track.

Bonus writing tip: Read your writing aloud and be prepared to edit as you go. The ear is an excellent self-editor. When you hear what you wrote, you’ll trip on sentences that “looked” fine but ended up sounding stilted and too wordy. Listen to yourself.

You don’t need to “flower” your language to make your point. If you’re writing poetry, well, get as creative as you like.

But if you’re writing business communications or a nonfiction book, you’ll serve your readers better if you keep it out of the weeds, give them white space, and get directly to the point.

Brevity is bliss.

Do you have questions for me about how you and your team can learn to be better communicators? Contact me.

I have a question for you, because I’m always curious to learn new writing tips: How do you like to boost the readability of your writing? Let me know!

Did you find this article helpful? You might enjoy these:

How to Talk About Your Book at Holiday Parties – And Get Invited Back

Beware of Misinformation and Especially Disinformation

Take 18 Days to Become a Better Writer

 

Filed Under: Book Writing, Business Writing Tagged With: #betterwriting, #business book editing, Hemingway App, improve readability, intentional writing, memoir editing, nonfiction book authors, nonfiction book editor, professional business book editing, read aloud, readability scores, Word Trippers, Writing Tips

Write with Intention Every Time

October 17, 2015 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

by Barbara McNichol

Much of the spoken language slides into our writing, but at times the words we say aren’t the exact fit for what we mean. Check your intention every time!

Consider these sentences from a manuscript about education:

  • How many principals do what they feel will win approval?
  • The public feels certain people shouldn’t be teaching.

Given the context, is “feel” the correct word to express the author’s meaning? No, because the essence of the intended meaning doesn’t come from an emotional “feeling” source. Rather, it comes from a profound conviction based on experience—a place of belief.

Replace “feeling” with the word “believe,” which involves caring about something. It implies a deeper kind of thinking—a mental activity that doesn’t necessarily have a sense of conviction. Because of this distinction, the better word choices would be:

  • How many principals do what they believe will win approval?
  • The public believes certain people shouldn’t be teaching.

writing with intentYour challenge: Question yourself when you select a commonly spoken word. Does it express the exact meaning based on its context? From now on, designate “feel” a red-flag word. Then replace it with “think” or “believe” or “hope” or another verb and reread your sentence. Is “feel” the most precise word to convey your intended meaning? If not, pause and find exactly the right one.

Unsure which of these verbs—feel, think, believe—to use in your own writing? For feedback on your sentence(s), request it here. 

Filed Under: Article Writing, Book Writing, Business Writing Tagged With: #business book editing, correct verbs, intentional writing, nonfiction book editing, precise writing, write with intention

Writers: Ever Been Embarrassed by an Unintentional “Bump” in the Road?

September 29, 2013 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

By Barbara McNichol

As a member of Society of Southwestern Authors, I receive the group’s e-newsletter The Write Word. One article that tickled my fancy lines up perfectly with my Wordshop’s intentional writing theme. It goes like this: Before you press the SEND button, always ask “Is what I say what I intend to convey?”

[quote style=”1″]Is what I say what I intend to convey?[/quote]

In his article, Dan Baldwin refers to writers’ unintended mistakes (catch the redundancy?) as “bumps from a dip in the road.”

Let me share my favorite 7 “bumps” from several that Dan listed:

  • Include Your Children When Baking Cookies
  • The Humane Society offers a free spay/neutering to senior citizens…
  • Try our cough syrup. You will never get any better.
  • FOR SALE: Bulldog. Will eat anything. Loves children.
  • Now you can borrow enough money to get completely out of debt.
  • The patient has no past history of suicides.
  • Beauty Queen Unveils Bust At Dedication Ceremony

Yes, these examples are highly entertaining, but do you see how they get in the way of stating the meaning intended—and could lead to embarrassment?

Intentional Writing Reins

The fix: First, write with intention. Then, proofread everything with fresh eyes and do so from the readers’ perspective, not your own!

Have you come across embarrassing “bumps” like these? Please share them here. All “bump” originators will be kept anonymous, I promise.

Filed Under: Writing Tips, Writing Workshops Tagged With: Dan Baldwin, intentional writing, nonfiction book editing, Society of Southwestern Authros, The Write Word

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