It’s tough to put words on paper. Writing is hard to do. It’s time-consuming.

It’s easy to be less focused. Write a stream of consciousness. Give it a half a** try.

That’s easy.

It’s harder to sweat over the writing process to get it right. If you want to be short and clear, it takes work.

It would help if you had a clear mind because writing is thinking.

Before you sit down to write, you need to understand what you want to say. You should know why you want to say it. Also, consider who should hear it.

Writing clearly and concisely is about choosing your words wisely. It’s constructing sentences that flow together.

It’s getting straight to the point in a way your audience can relate to.

Simple words … sentences … stories.

Everything you write needs to be understood by your readers.

We often get caught up in our curse of knowledge. We assume that people know what you know.

News flash: they don’t!

Writing about what you know seems easy because you know it. It’s different to communicate what you know in a way that works for your audience.

If your readers don’t understand your main message, they will not gain value from it and take action.

How to keep your writing short and clear

To become a better writer, you must view your content as if you were seeing it for the first time. 

Writing short and clear is tough, so these five simple yet powerful tips will help you.

1. Understand it first

You can’t write about something until you understand the topic. I mean, know the theme. You need to know why you want to say this. Also, be clear on who you want to read it.

This seems obvious, but it is often forgotten.

Know the topic inside and out. Long-winded people don’t know the topic well.

“I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.” 

Blaise Pascal, a French philosopher, and scientist

Take the time to serve your audience better so you can help them achieve their goals.

Writing falls flat and doesn’t attract your audience if it is long and doesn’t get to the point.

Understand why you are writing it, and then writing will flow more clearly.

2. Use simple language

Don’t impress your readers. It can be a weakness if you have too good a vocabulary.

Writing at an 8th-grade reading level (the level of most U.S. adults) will help make sure your content is readable.

If you want people to understand you, use words everyone knows.

Use simple language, avoid writing long sentences, and concentrate on word length.

If you do these two things, your readability will be better.

Many professions use language that doesn’t work for people who don’t work in that industry. Use language that your family can understand.

3. Polish your writing

Force yourself to remove 10% of your story. Is every word helping the overall story?

The best place to start is to remove redundant words and phrases.

When you polish your writing, you feel tempted to remove parts of your story. Yet, these parts are what people want to read.

Don’t cut personal stories to lower the word count. If you do this, you are left with an unemotional tale that doesn’t resonate.

People love vulnerable writing that has personal stories, metaphors, and analogies.

Recognize which sentences are essential to make your story clear, concise, and polished. Consider what sentences you would defend if you were questioned about them.

Highlight the sentences you want to keep and then remove the ones you don’t like.

4. Tell a collection of small personal stories

Personal stories sell. Your story conveys more emotion and helpful information than stats or research.

Why?

It happened to you so that it can happen to others.

Understanding how much “skin” you will show in your writing is key.

It’s essential to draw a line in the sand. This way, you will know how much you will reveal about yourself. You will also know how many personal stories you will tell others.

Some people will offer a lot to the world, while others are unwilling to show much.

People like to learn from other people’s mistakes as much as their successes. Tell small personal stories in your writing.

They help the overall message of your story. If you think about it, the best big stories are a collection of smaller stories.

Why do you think books have chapters and TV shows have episodes?

5. Get feedback on your outline

Before publishing an article, get feedback on the idea before writing it. 

Tim Denning is a master at this concept in action.

He posts the framework of his articles on his LinkedIn profile to get feedback from his followers. He collects this feedback before he writes and publishes the article.

Here’s an example of how he does it.

LinkedIn Post by Tim Denning

Tim’s published article has been “focus-grouped” and tested on LinkedIn so he can refine it before he hits publish.

He has “workshopped” his ideas with others. This ensures his articles are more successful when “fully” written in an article.

This helps him make sure his idea is clear.

The feedback he generates is valuable so that he can pivot on some of his ideas.

Based on the comments in the LinkedIn post, he can see what resonated with his LinkedIn followers. He can find the message lost in translation and decide what part of the idea has confused them.

This process is like what comedians do before they go on stage.

If you hear one of their jokes that produces a lot of laughs, it has been told many times. Comedy writers try a joke 10 or more times to make it hilarious.

Bringing it all together

Follow these five simple yet powerful tips to keep your writing short and clear.

• Understand it first
• Use simple language
• Polish your writing
• Tell a collection of small personal stories
• Get feedback on your outline

You will only be clear with your writing if your mind is clear.

You must force yourself to sand down your idea and force a reduction in it. It strengthens your writing because it is crystal clear.

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