Rapid
Writing

by Daphne Gray-Grant
The five best ways to avoid scowling at your readers.
Like many ex-journalists, I pride myself in being skeptical. But I also have a Pollyanna streak. Perhaps that's why I enjoy reading the blog Saunders Says by Tim Saunders, author of Love is the Killer Ap and Saving the World At Work.
Tim likes to argue that simply being kind is one of the keys to success. "A 2002 study on customer service found that if you are likeable and competent," he writes, "you have a threefold increase in the likelihood of getting satisfactory service."
I may have to turn in my papers as a grumpy ex-journalist, but I agree. It's not just the whole catch-more-flies-with-honey-than-vinegar thing. It's also that kindness tends to beget more kindness.
So this got me thinking. . . How can you be kind in writing? Sounds funny, I know, but here are five literary ways to turn that frown upside down.
1)
Write like you talk.
Don't use high falutin' language, complicated syntax
or five-syllable words to show off your smarts. When I was in
the newspaper business, we used to call this "smoking jacket language" --
the kind of pompous talk used by someone wearing a velvet jacket, holding
a cigar and swirling some brandy in a snifter. You don't ever talk
like that, you say? Let's consider the common phrase: "In my humble
opinion..." Huh? How about saying "I think" or "I
believe" instead?
2)
Don't use jargon.
This is trickier than it sounds because one person's
jargon is another person's normal language. But here's a question:
Do you regularly use terms like "SEO," "RSS" or "Web 2.0" in your
writing? My husband, who has seven years of post-secondary education,
doesn't
have a clue what they mean. If he's your reader, he'll consider that
language a big fat scowl.
3)
Don't waste your reader's time.
Be concise. When editing, try to remove
at least 20% of your text. Use boldface and headlines to make
it easy for your reader to skim or scan your text.
4)
Tell stories and use metaphors.
We don't need more facts in this world.
We're drowning in 'em! We need more understanding. The best
way to achieve this is to tell stories and use metaphors. For example,
I can suggest you spend an hour a month working on your income tax,
or I can tell you a story about someone who did that and saved himself
weeks of misery in April. Which do you think is more convincing --
the advice or the proof? Likewise, I can describe someone as a mouthy
know-it-all or I can tell you he's the Donald Trump of the building.
See what I mean?
5)
Watch your order.
When I edit, I often discover that writers have presented
information "out of order." That is, they tell
me Point C when I really need to know Point A first. Think hard about
your readers' "need to know" and be sure to define terms
or explain processes at just the right time in the text.
"Being
kind" in your writing isn't rocket science. It's just the
literary equivalent of the golden rule: Treat your readers as you
would like to be treated yourself. ![]()
A
former daily newspaper editor, Daphne Gray-Grant is a writing and
editing coach and the author of 8
1⁄2 Steps to Writing Faster, Better. She offers a weekly
newsletter on her
website Publication
Coach. It’s brief. It’s smart.
And it’s free.

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