5 tips for writing more simply Posted Jun 18, 2019
Here are 5 tips to simplify the writing process, drawn from my experience as a journalist and web editor. Admittedly, this style of professional writing lacks a bit of originality, but it has two advantages: it will make your texts easier to read and faster to write!
Writing essays well in English is not easy. To write more quickly, you have to write more simply. If you follow this basic method of writing, without trying to make beautiful turns of sentences or complex grammatical constructions, you will lose less time to ask questions about your style.
These tips for "easy writing" are even more true on the web where people read you on a small mobile screen. They spend very little on each page and need to immediately understand the content of your text. Sometimes, you need a person that can write your essay.
1. Short sentences, you will write
Do not write more than one or two lines per sentence. If you are unsure of several phrases that convey the same information, simply count the words and always choose the one that has the least. By shortening your sentences, your texts will be immediately more rhythmic. As soon as you feel that you are getting into a sentence that is too long, there is a problem. Locate the pieces of information that make up your long sentence and treat them one by one in separate sentences.
2. About + verb + complement, you will limit yourself
The schema subject + verb + complement or adjective is the simplest grammatically. It is immediately recognizable and understandable by the reader at a glance. So avoid complex grammatical turnings, subordinates, incises, parentheses within a sentence, and so on. Avoid moving the subject away from the verb. No need to multiply adverbs or adjectives.
Tip: Turn subordinates into independent sentences as soon as possible.
3. One idea per sentence, you will build
One idea per sentence, one topic per article! Do not try to say everything at once in a single text on the same theme, at the risk of drowning your reader. And to have no other ideas for articles later ...
Above all, do not start writing without taking the time to think about your plan. Prioritize your ideas and start with the most important ones. Answer your readers' questions in the order in which they will logically ask them. This is called writing an inverted pyramid text.
Tip: If your text is too long, divide it into several articles grouped into a folder on your site and linked together by links.
4. Your vocabulary, you will simplify
You are not a writer, you are an editor. You do not write to please yourself, but to make yourself understood. Do not try to impress your readers with sought-after terms or literary style effects. Favor the simple words, known to everyone, the ones that readers commonly use and that people search frequently in Google. Simplifying your vocabulary does not mean repeating yourself. When writing a text for the Web, it is interesting to vary its turn phrases, to say many times the same thing with different words. You'll help Google better understand the meaning of your text and answer more queries.
Tip: Use only the words you are sure of spelling.
5. The jargon, you will translate
Remember to spell out all acronyms, abbreviations and words in English. Again, this is not about taking your readers for idiots, but to contextualize your information to meet the different levels of knowledge of the subject. Not only will your readers say thank you, but the search engines will find your page better because you will expand your semantic field.
Hopefully the 5 tips above are useful.
