8 Tips on Achieving Clarity in Your Writing

Flynn Hannan
Writers Republic
Published in
4 min readSep 22, 2021
clarity-in-writing

Being a professional writer entails you to write with as much clarity as possible. Remember that the clearer your writing, the more you could convey to your audience. It is not as easy as you would think though. If you want your writing to be as clear as possible, it is important that you have a set plan. Here are 8 efficient tips for writing clearly.

1. Keep Things Short And Sweet

When it comes to writing clearly, it is a good idea to keep things short and sweet. If you make your writing overly long and complicated, you won’t convey your message to your readers. Limit your writing to two sentences at most, before you use a full stop.

2. Stay Away From Jargon

Jargon are words that are specially used for a specific profession or group. Only a select few people really know what these words mean, and how to properly use them. Some authors use jargon to make their work sound more intellectual. However, this is a very bad idea. Using jargon will not only make your writing sound pretentious, it will also annoy and confuse your readers.

3. Avoid Filler Sentences

If you want your writing to be clearer, it is important that you cut out filler sentences. These types of sentences are inconsequential to the writing process. They are sentences that are meant to fill the lull in your writing, and are usually made up of repeated words and phrases. Make it a habit to write sparingly. Only write sentences that have an impact on the overall storyline.

4. Context Is Key

When it comes to writing clearly, it is important that you use context as efficiently as possible. Don’t just write sentences out of the blue. This will make your writing sound like incoherent babbling. Before you make any statements in your writing, make sure that you set the stage first. For example, your protagonist killed another character in your story.

This character was kind, and popular. If you have your protagonist kill him out of the blue, and not provide any context to the readers, then the entire plotline will backfire on you. By providing context to all your plotlines, you will make your writing a lot clearer.

5. Organize Your Sentences Thoroughly

Proper sentence organization is very important when it comes to writing clearly. The more ordered your sentences, the more coherent your writing will be. Before you start the writing process, take the time to plot out all the events in your story. From the introduction to the very conclusion of your story, plot out every aspect of it. This will make it easier for you to keep track of your overall storyline.

6. Have A Clear Goal In Your Writing

When you start on any writing project, it is important that you have a clear goal in mind. Writing without a clear goal, is like going in blind. Your writing will just flounder about, without any impact. Before you even start writing the first sentence, you should have a set goal in mind. It could be to inform readers about a key concept, or to elaborate on a specific time in your life. Your goal could practically be anything. What’s important is that you identify this goal, and stick to it throughout the writing process.

7. Utilize Punctuation Marks Effectively

Correct use of punctuations is one of the keys to writing clearly. If you don’t know how to use your punctuation marks properly, there is a chance that you’ll confuse your readers. Take the time to learn the basics of the various punctuation marks that you could use in your writing. By using proper punctuation techniques, you will be able to cut out the frills in your writing.

8. Support Your Position With Good Points

If you are going to take a stance in your writing, it is very important that you support your position with good points. The best way to do this, is to cite various resources such as articles, testimonials, test study results, reviews, etc.

Conclusion

When it comes to writing with clarity, you will need to have a set strategy. With these tips, you’ll be able to make your writing as clear as possible.

Posts you might also like:

A Few Things Writers Should Know About Daily Word Counts

5 Things You Should Look out for When Writing Your Manuscript

5 Essential Tips for Reaching Your Writing Dreams

--

--

Flynn Hannan
Writers Republic

Bibliophile , Senior Indie Editor at Writers Republic