How Can a Student Achieve Clear Writing?

As a technical writer transitioning into ghostwriting thought leadership articles, I've honed a keen eye for clarity in writing. This is a crucial aspect, especially when crafting content intended to inform, persuade, or educate. Here are my top 3 tips to help students and aspiring writers achieve clear writing:

1. Think Before You Write

Writing is essentially articulating your thoughts in a printed format. However, many students struggle with this process, often producing content filled with unnecessary fluff, unclear purpose, complex language, and repetitive content. The issue is rarely poor English; rather, it stems from a lack of thoughtful preparation.

Readers are willing to endure spelling and grammar errors as long as the content is useful. However, they will not tolerate content that is poorly thought out. The writing process begins long before you start typing. It involves careful consideration of what you want to convey and how best to articulate it.

2. Build Your 'Skeletal' Structure First

The structure of your writing is crucial for clarity. Begin by identifying the main question you aim to answer. This will serve as your working title. Then, generate follow-up questions that the main question raises, which will form your working headings.

Organize these questions in a logical order and tackle them one by one. This approach helps to avoid the common pitfalls of vague or repetitive content and uncovers any knowledge gaps you may have. Additionally, addressing a question at a time reduces the likelihood of writer's block and keeps your writing focused.

3. Start with Short Form

Reflecting on my early days in the industry, I remember being tasked with updating a 300-page book as a 21-year-old with no prior technical writing or industry experience. The overwhelming amount of content was daunting, and it took me a significant amount of time to complete the task. Fortunately, my manager provided me with a much shorter white paper the following day, which, despite still being challenging, was more manageable.

In retrospect, it would have been better to start with shorter, more concise forms of writing. Writing tweets, Quora answers, blog posts, and then moving on to white papers or books can be a more effective learning curve. Shorter content is less intimidating, and the feedback loop is quicker, allowing for more practice and faster improvement.

Starting with shorter content also encourages you to stick to the core points, keeping your writing focused and to the point.

In conclusion, clarity in writing is a skill that can be honed with practice and thoughtful preparation. By following these tips, students and writers can enhance the clarity and impact of their work, ensuring it resonates with their audience and achieves its intended purpose.