In his blog post, Two Reasons Why Everyone Needs to Write Clearly, Darius Foroux discusses that credibility and time are two of the biggest reasons why everyone needs to write clearly.
1. Clear writing improves your credibility
Whenever writing, we must always have a clear purpose in mind. For example, this is the main idea that should be clearly expressed through the writer’s works. Having a purpose when writing makes the piece of work interesting, engaging, and straightforward. It’s easy to just write, but the importance of clarity in a piece of writing makes all the difference between ‘average’ and ‘great.’
Advice – Watch For Ambiguity
Writing isn’t just about the correct grammar, but also the purpose and clarity of the piece. This is especially important when writing about sensitive topics. Readers can interpret writing in a myriad of ways, which is why when writing about specific and sensitive topics, you need to have a clear interpretation of the topic at hand.
2. Clear writing saves you time
When you write something, you must be 100% clear. This means that you need to have a clear interpretation of the topic, even if you are writing about a sensitive or ambiguous topic. This is very contradictory to several English works I’ve studied in class, where there are several different interpretations of a poem.
Advice – Let Your Writing Sit
Avoid writing something and clicking something immediately after you are done. We usually go with our initial thoughts, and it’s important to let your writing sit and reflect on what you have written afterwards. Often, we will find ourselves rewriting a paragraph because the meaning behind it was ambiguous, and there wasn’t enough clarity. It’s important to let your writing sit, and to be able to edit after writing, not during the process.
Conclusion
Time and credibility are always at stake when writing. It’s important that we take into consideration both of these aspects, as your words can and will have a huge impact on your life and career. While it’s tempting to rush through and write, clear and precise writing takes time and is a need. We shouldn’t let an unclear, misunderstood statement affect us, especially when the stakes are high.