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"Write simply" is given as advice because, well, it's good advice. Too many writers try to ball before they crawl. A memorable critique, from an English profes
by dqv 4y ago
"Write simply" is given as advice because, well, it's good advice. Too many writers try to ball before they crawl.
A memorable critique, from an English professor, of my writing: "stop trying to sound smart". He meant that I should stop trying to use big words and stop trying to construct complex sentences.
>People state they want/like simple writing but revealed preferences show otherwise.
Simplicity isn't what you think it is. The simplicity people want is sentences that flow regardless of complexity. You say complicated, I say clunky. An author might use a complex sentence to coalesce several ideas, but if that complexity, because the construction interrupts the flow, requires the audience to reread the sentence, the author has failed.
That's how we arrive at simplicity. I find it easier to pepper diversity into my prose ex post facto than try during first draft. Connecting two simple sentences is less work than unwinding a complicated sentence.
The advice isn't really to leave your writing simple, it's to start simple. At some point, you will be required to use a complex sentence to connect ideas.
- qsort 4y agoI think we are confusing two concepts: clear prose and ordinary words. It's right in the first sentence: > I try to write using ordinary words and simple sentences. They don't go hand in hand. Quite the contrary, I'm arguing they are in conflict. Drawing from a larger vocabulary allows greater precision, results in shorter sentences and enables the writer to express complex ideas concisely. Ironically, artificially restricting what words one can use puts a far greater cognitive burden on the reader. It's superfluous to quote the relevant xkcd. There's no cure for unclear prose: it's the necessary consequence of unclear thoughts.
- t8sr 4y ago> They don't go hand in hand. Quite the contrary, I'm arguing they are in conflict. "Those two things are at odds with each other." > Drawing from a larger vocabulary allows greater precision, results in shorter sentences and enables the writer to express complex ideas concisely. "Using more precise words enables simpler sentences, even for complex ideas." > Ironically, artificially restricting what words one can use puts a far greater cognitive burden on the reader. It's superfluous to quote the relevant xkcd. "Limiting yourself to only simple words makes it harder to read." > There's no cure for unclear prose: it's the necessary consequence of unclear thoughts. "????" I think what you're saying would be a lot more convincing if you had, in fact, been able to express it more clearly.
- grvdrm 4y agoReminds me of a recent exchange during which someone sent me an email with the word anachronistic but then explained it with “updated in the past” later in the sentence. Laughed at the use of extra words to explain a big word rather than just saying something like “out of date”
- nine_k 4y agoI love this maxim: "As simple as possible, but not simpler".
- waynesonfire 4y agoand this leads to _clear_ writing. Write clearly.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]