170 pages

English

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Cover2Cover Books - Donald Powers

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170 pages

English

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Description

Improving the quality of your writing starts with rethinking your assumptions and developing healthier writing habits. This book will help you do both.

Become a Better Writer: How to Write with Clarity and Simplicity is a practical guide for those who wish to write more clearly and concisely. Drawing on their extensive experience as writers and editors, the authors discuss tools and tips for making your writing accessible and meaningful to your target audience.

The book is readable and engaging, covering different kinds of writing (including reports, essays, emails, novels and speeches) across a wide range of subjects. The examples discussed are derived from real-world material and are particularly relevant to the African context. The book will be especially useful to writers of non-fiction.

Chapter 1: Breaking bad habits

Chapter 2: Principles of clear writing

Chapter 3: Making your writing persuasive and easy to read

Chapter 4 editing

Chapter 5 the advanced toolkit

Chapter 6 words in action

Sujets

Composition

Non-fiction

Writing

Sciences de l'éducation

Language Arts

Disciplines

Writting

Informations

Publié par	Cover2Cover Books
Date de parution	05 août 2022
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781928466178
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	3 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0950€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

up xsiue fps neaoiog, seFLecuipo aod usaotfpsnauipo.”

asgviog aod eyqsettiog poetemf io xsiuiog.”

at I sead iu. Cmeas, cpocite aod hemqfvm.”

uhau geut uhe ioueoded nettage acsptt up uhe uasgeu seades.”

HOW TO WRITE WITH CLARITY AND SIMPLICITY

Donald Powers & Greg Rosenberg

How to write with clarity and simplicity

Donald Powers & Greg Rosenberg

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Distributed by Cover2Cover Books www.cover2cover.co.za

Print ISBN: 978-1-928466-16-1 E-book ISBN: 978-1-928466-17-8

Cover design by Georgia Demertzis Typesetting and layout by Firebrand Cover images © Shutterstock

Clarity Global Strategic Communications (Pty) Ltd Company registration no. 2019/175661/07 Unit 1, Demar Square, 45 Bell Crescent, Westlake Business Park, Westlake, Cape Town, 7945 +27 21 702 11 77 www.clarityglobal.net

Contents

Foreword.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................1 Introduction...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................3

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Breaking bad habits

The global standard: Plain language ............................................................... The dead giveaways of bad writing .................................................................... The ingredients of good writing .............................................................................. What does it take to become a better writer? ....................................

Principles of clear writing

Be concise ...................................................................................................................................................... Remove needless repetition ............................................................................................ Write in the active voice ........................................................................................................ Use strong verbs .................................................................................................................................. Accentuate the positive .......................................................................................................... Steer clear of jargon ...................................................................................................................... Be tqecic aod awpid cmich¬t ......................................................................................... Csafu efecuiwe teoueocet ....................................................................................................... Get your word order right .................................................................................................. Put the main idea up front ................................................................................................ To wrap up ....................................................................................................................................................

Making your writing persuasive and easy to read

........................................................................................................60 Consider your audience ..............................................................................................................................66 Write to the point .......................................................................................68 Build a convincing argument ........................................................................................................................80 Eotvse mpgicam px ..............................................................................................85 Make key points accessible ....................................................................................................90 Present your work neatly ....................................................................................................................................................101 To wrap up

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

editing

102

..................................................................................102 What is editing and why do it? ........................................................................................................................103 The bird’s-eye view ............................................................107 Punctuation and grammar essentials ....................................................................................................................................................118 To wrap up

the advanced toolkit

119

..............................................................................................................119 Narrative and analogy ............................................................................................................................124 Varying your style 129 The evolution of language and conscious word choice ........................................................................................131 Dealing with sensitive issues ....................................................................................................................................................136 To wrap up

words in action

137

...........................................................................................................................................................137 Speeches .......................................................................................................................................145 Opinion pieces

...................................................................................................................................................148 Summaries ............................................................................................................................................151 Presentations ....................................................................................................................................................156 To wrap up

Acknowledgements............................................................................................................................................................................................157 Index..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................158 Bibliography.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................160

Foreword

By Redi Tlhabi

Words matter. They have consequences. They can make or break our hopes. They can polarise and cause irreparable harm. But words can also inspire us and open vq a xhpme oex xpsmd. We cao usawem up difeseou detuioauipot, tanqme cvmuvset and respond to humanity’s most urgent needs through words and writing.

If we want readers and audiences to choose us again and again, then this is a good book to read. Donald Powers and Greg Rosenberg remind us that knowing how to choose and use the right words can have consequences far beyond what we may imagine.

Anyone who has ever written a book, report, presentation, article or even a speech has probably spent a considerable amount of time staring at the blank computer screen thinking, “I know what I want to say, but how do I say it?!” In today’s world, technological advances mean writers are competing with various forms of content, produced in a short space of time, across multiple platforms. Our potential readers are spoilt for choice when it comes to accessing content and reading material. We are even competing with content where a story can be told with images, video and graphics rather than words. The pressure on writers to adapt and sharpen their skills has never been greater.

We are not entitled to our readers’ indulgence.Become a Better Writergives us the tools to help us improve our craft and turn stories, information and experiences into gripping tales or meaningful reports. If you have been stuck with a great message or a powerful story that you could not translate into accessible language, then this book is for you.

This is a unique little volume. It is not your typical “how to” manual. First, the authors have a delightful sense of humour. Second, they are great at following their own advice: “Don’t test your reader’s patience” – be concise and get to the point. The third feature is particularly relevant for me – I always have too much to say and too little time and space in which to say it. So how does a writer and public speaker like myself know what to prioritise and what to leave out? The authors deftly answer this conundrum with clear and practical tips on how to choose only the most relevant and impactful content when writing.

One attribute that distinguishes this book from others is the authors’ convincing linking of clear messaging to socio-political and economic outcomes. How can citizens participate in political processes unless they understand the decisions that are made on their behalf? Powers and Rosenberg remind us that lucid and accessible writing can be a matter of life and death in regions where democracy and accountability are fragile. When humanity’s actions threaten our planet, writing a persuasive message can lead to enduring behavioural change.

This is a book for all types of writers – and all types of writing. If you are in the public or development sector and wonder why public discourse does not seecu zpvs qpmiciet, uheo uhit bppl it a nvtu-sead! If zpv ase a opwemitu ps opo-cuipo xsiues xhp hat xauched hemqmettmz at nvodaoe tupsiet gaio fas npse traction than your work, thenBecome a Better Writercan help you achieve that much-needed breakthrough. Academics will also learn some valuable lessons on how to write for the reader and make their highly cerebral content concise, informative and engaging. As an experienced writer, I was particularly excited and challenged by the chapter on using narrative and varying your style.

A writer never quite “arrives”. Our relationship with words is an ongoing journey, which can become stale and predictable too. This book has given me fresh eyes and renewed energy to perfect my craft – it has been worth every minute!

Introduction About you

You can write better. We all can. Improving the quality of your writing starts with rethinking your assumptions and developing healthier writing habits. This book will help you do both.

The uhsee nptu cpnnpo qspbment io opo-cuipo xsiuiog ase vtiog upp naoz words, being unnecessarily complicated and not thinking about who you are writing for.

Much writing is tediously long-winded. All of us have been on the receiving end of this practice, but few of us have the time or patience to endure it. Don’t waste your reader’s time. This book will help you to write more concisely.

We all know what it’s like when you ask a doctor, a mechanic or an information technology specialist to explain something but their answer only adds to your confusion. The problem is not what they know buthowthey communicatewhat they know to you, the non-specialist. It’s often assumed that using big words and long sentences will impress your reader. That’s a mistake. Albert Einstein is sometimes credited with having said that if you can’t explain something simply, you don’t understand it well enough. Challenging yourself to write as clearly as possible will help you to think more clearly.

Npo-cuipo xsiuiog it sasemz ao eyescite io temf-eyqsettipo. Chaocet ase uhau you’re not writing for yourself: you’re writing for your readers. Understanding who you’re writing for is just as important as knowing what you want to say.

Writing simply and clearly is not easy: it takes patience, practice and care. The purpose of this book is to support you. It contains principles, examples, anecdotes and tips that you can adopt to improve your writing craft.

About us

At Clarity Global Strategic Communications, we help our clients communicate with clarity, simplicity and integrity. That’s not a marketing slogan: it’s a way to make a real impact that supports democracy, transparency and accountability in ewesz emd pf hvnao eodeawpvs.

Whether we’re working on an editing or writing project, our goal is to produce a text that is crisp, clear and engaging. Sometimes material we receive for editing requires a light touch; at other times it requires major surgery. In each case, we have to keep in mind the client’s intended message and their target audience. We know how much time, thinking and rewriting can go into making a good sentence. We’ve also learnt many lessons the hard way – through experience. We’d like to share some of these lessons with you.

About this book

Ypv’mm od a gseau naoz bpplt po xsiuiog – uhpvgh fex pf uhen ase gseau. Thit one is designed as a practical tool for those who wish to improve their craft. The authors have extensive experience as writers and editors. Our focus is on non-cuipo xsiuiog, uhpvgh uhe bppl ximm amtp be vtefvm up xsiuest pf cuipo.

You can read this book from front to back, or you can skip between sections with abandon. A handy index is available for quick reference. The examples we discuss are derived from real-world material and are particularly relevant to the African context. Many of the examples we use are based on client material we hawe ediued. Dpo’u xpssz if zpv hawe miuume lopxmedge pf a qasuicvmas emd: pvs discussion of each example will highlight issues that are relevant to all types of

xsiuiog. We’we dsaxo uhe eyanqmet fspn difeseou liodt pf xsiuiog (iocmvdiogreports, essays, emails, novels and speeches) across a wide range of subjects.

Here’s an overview of the book’s contents:

• CHAPTER 1 outlines the common problems that nearly all writers encounter at some stage. We discuss the problem of writing to impress rather than inform, consider the global trend towards using plain language, and highlight some features of good and bad writing. • CHAPTER 2 presents 10 principles that will help make your writing crisper and clearer. • CHAPTER 3 discusses how to make your writing persuasive and easy to read. It covers writing to the point, building a logical argument and making key information accessible. • CHAPTER 4 is about editing – how to make sure your grammar and punctuation are correct while keeping the bigger picture in mind. • CHAPTER 5 presents more advanced approaches to make your writing engaging, such as using narrative and varying your style. • CHAPTER 6 focuses on how to ensure clear, concise, engaging content in four common writing formats – speeches, opinion pieces, summaries and presentations.So, let’s get started.