Keep It Simple

“The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity.” -Walt Whitman

I stumbled across an interesting definition online. See if you can figure out what word is being defined.

“…an anomalous juxtaposition of incongruous ideas for the sake of striking exposition or unexpected insight… ."

I love it! Seriously, doesn’t it seem that the author of this entry is a bit of a blowhard? Isn’t the purpose of a definition to clarify, not confuse? So here's this week’s advice: simplify.

I see too many business writers these days who are under the impression that stuffy, formal writing is more professional or more impressive than clear, simple writing. It’s not. And it further complicates things when those writers use complex words incorrectly or inappropriately because they don’t consider the meaning or implied meaning of those words. It isn't hard to replace a straightforward word with a complicated one, all you need is a thesaurus and an inferiority complex. Showing off your fancy vocabulary won’t make your readers think you’re smart. (But it might make them think you’re pretentious.)

Now I’m not saying that you should “dummy down” to your readers, or avoid the thesaurus entirely. What I am saying is that you should – c’mon, say it with me – write the way you speak! (I know, I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating.)

So go forth and attempt to utilize this indispensable recommendation in your impending documents and manuscripts. The receiver of your communiqué will be infinitely indebted to you and your contemplation of his emotional condition.

(Keep it simple. Your readers will thank you.)

Have a funny example to send to me? Please do! (And you get extra points if you can tell me what word is defined above.)

Write on!