writing simple

‘Occam’s razor’, named after the fourteenth century English theologian and philosopher William of Occam, describes the idea that the best way to get to the truth is to discard as much unnecessary information as possible.

It’s also extremely good advice for writers.

Whether you’re producing a piece of marketing material, a sales proposal or perhaps an educational presentation, there are a number of key questions to bear in mind when trying to keep writing simple.

Four ways to keep your writing simple and clear

Any piece of writing exists to communicate a message to your readers. This message needs to be clear in your mind from the very beginning. It is the driving force behind your text and the processes that produce it.

The structure should be as simple as possible.

Now, and only now, should you evaluate any research material you might have. Most importantly, this is the time to be brutal with your application of Occam’s razor. If there isn’t a compelling reason to include some information within your structure, cut it out.

When writing each section of your piece, be extremely realistic about your planned word counts. You should only say as much as is absolutely necessary to get your point across. Never forget: ‘Less is more.’

Read more about creating documents with clarity:

Linking sentences and paragraphs

Away with the fairies: when the analogy runs wild

Creating documents that are simple and clear to read is one of the most important challenges facing writers. That’s why all of our  courses include a module called ‘Writing with clarity’. Click here to find out more.

Writing with clarity is also a hallmark of the way we produce copy at Writing Machine Agency. If you want to chat about how we create content using the Structured Writing Method™, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.