Editorial Op-Ed | The Week’s Top 3 Stories| Of Reading & Writing
When It Comes to Writing, Simplicity is the Game
Expectations collapse under their own weight. Write to get others to understand. Write better so people understand better. With time, we get better results.
Writing brilliantly is like having a nice conversation.
We convey our thoughts, and the recipient processes our communication the way it is.
Brilliant writing is simple writing.
We overcomplicate simple writing in 2 ways:
- One, the writing in itself.
- Two, expectations over communication per se.
3 stories inspired me to write this piece.
They point towards a deeper reflection on the second bullet point. I recommend these stories for the weekend, so we can get back to basics.
- Paul Coogan | Going Viral is Annoying Me
- Patricia Haddock | 5 Simple Ways We Can Improve Our Articles
- Niharika Chhabra | 3 Great Ways To Invest In Yourself And How It Can Change Your Life
And, of course, I acknowledge the following.
That we want to do well.
That we want to have readers.
That we want good statistics.
That we also want good earnings.
But that is the result of what we do, not why we do what we do. We write because we enjoy it. We write because we want to communicate what we know to others.
We seek to write better because we want others to understand what we write, better.
Writing Better is About Focus
“You never know the plan. You never know what’s going to happen. We are not even promised tomorrow. I just try to focus on one day at a time.”
Focus is impossible without a plan. Plans fail without a goal.
Goals lose their meaning without an end-game.
Writing, writing better, writing for readers have no end-game.
Quantitative measures don’t apply. Take, for instance, the following:
- I write to add 3 more readers to my newsletter this week.
- I want to write better, so my next article or e-book gets distributed further.
- One iota of improvement in grammar allows me to gain 2 followers.
As if.
So, what should we focus on when it comes to writing?
Focus is a big word. I will ringfence it to 2 points. Expressing our thoughts holistically from start to end and remaining stubbornly on point.
A holistic expression means we convey our ideas from the introduction to readers’ takeaway in one setting. This is not easy. Many of us lose stamina when writing. We venture off track.
We have to come back.
Remaining stubbornly on point has nothing to do with singlemindedness. The contrary is true. It is about relevance.
I clicked on your story to read about books. I swipe left when paragraphs about mobile games start appearing.
So, focus.
When it comes to writing, less is more.
Writing Better is About the Reader
We can get too narcissistic.
Writers often get too obsessed with themselves. We pile in words with 6 syllables. We use words that no one can understand. We put in commas after commas to share what we think, how we think, and the whole nine yards.
Yes, we write to express ourselves.
No, we do not write for ourselves.
We write for our readers.
This is a difficult task because our readers know us. We do not.
It is criminal to assume they will check the dictionary for your bombastic word. It is dangerous to assume they have the time to read your 8-minute long, well-elaborated prose on political left-right stalemate.
Think for your reader.
Look at your reading habits for clues.
Do you actually finish reading an 8-minute read?
Do you actually like coming across words that require you to keep checking the dictionary for the next 5 minutes?
Do you actually enjoy navigating through long clumps of paragraphs made out of 10 sentences?
I rest my case.
Write with simplicity. Write with your reader in mind. They want to learn from you. They do not want to be put off by you.
Tip: You know how and where to improve as a writer once you understand your reading habits.Summary
We overcomplicate writing.
Writing is a way we communicate ourselves. To do that, we need to stay focused, relevant, and embrace simplicity in our work.
That alone involves a lifetime of self-improvement.
Remember.
When it comes to writing, less is more.
The reverse is true.
More is less.
Leave expectations aside. When we start to write better, results will come. I cannot tell you when. I just know it will.
Dr Mehmet Yildiz Liam Ireland Maria Rattray Karen Madej Carol Price Tree Langdon Agnes Laurens Claire Kelly Dr. Preeti Singh Josh Balerite Acol Britni Pepper John Cunningham Noorain Hassan, BMS Geetika Sethi Zen Chan Regi Dew Langrial JS Adam Technology Hits Esther George Kyomi O'Connor The Wordsmith™🏳️🌈🇺🇸
Resources from Previous Editorial Op-Eds:
If you find this editorial op-ed helpful to your writing journey, you may uncover more gems in the previous op-eds written for the benefit of ILLUMINATION’s contributors and readers.
- Inside the Minds of Editors: What We Look Forward to and Look Out for.
- The Future of Reading is in Writing.
- To Write is to Build a Skillset You Will Never Regret.
- Illuminating the Way to Find Your (Real) Voice.
- First, We Read. Next, We Write. Then, We Reimagine How We Can Write.
- Illuminating How We Can Change Our Mindset for a Better Life.
- Read Write. Live Right. Stay Bright.
- Maybe, I Am Just Another Fraudster Drowning in Doubts
As a content contributor, I write my observations from daily life and my business exposure. Because our life experience is the bedrock of our unique perspectives.