Lesson 4 of 7 Free account 4 min read
Writing Clearly: Plain Language, Examples and Stories
Plain language, one idea per paragraph, concrete examples and well-chosen stories make non-fiction easy to read and hard to forget. Here is how to write and revise for clarity.
Key takeaways
- Clear writing comes from clear thinking, so know the point of a paragraph before you polish it.
- Give each paragraph one job, and put its main idea near the start.
- Abstract claims need concrete examples, and the best examples are specific enough to picture.
- Stories and case studies carry ideas into memory, but only when they are tied to the point you are making.
- Cut or explain jargon, because your reader does not share your vocabulary.
Readers rarely put a non-fiction book down because the ideas are too simple. They put it down because it's hard work: long paragraphs, abstract claims, terms they don't know, and no clear sense of where the chapter is going. Clarity isn't dumbing down. It's doing the work so the reader doesn't have to.
What is plain language in non-fiction writing?
Plain language means the reader understands it the first time. In practice that usually means common words over fancy ones, active verbs, sentences that mostly stay under about 25 words, and saying who does what. 'Mistakes were made in the budgeting process' hides the actor. 'We overspent because nobody checked the invoices' tells the reader what happened.
- Prefer 'use' to 'utilize', 'help' to 'facilitate', 'start' to 'commence', 'about' to 'approximately'.
- Turn nouns back into verbs: 'make a decision' becomes 'decide', 'conduct an analysis' becomes 'analyze'.
- Put the subject and verb close together and near the start of the sentence.
- Read your draft aloud. Anywhere you stumble or run out of breath, the reader will too.
Keep reading with a free account
The first lesson of every course is open to everyone. Sign up free to read the rest of this lesson, its exercise and every other lesson in the Writers Academy.