Learn the simplest trick to improve writing.
The simplest trick to make your writing more appealing to a wide range of people is writing the way you talk. To achieve better readability across a big population, write in a manner that resembles how you normally talk to your acquaintances and family members.
Or just don’t write something like the paragraph above! It’s awful! Who would want to read a whole article like that?
So, the point is there’s a difference between written and spoken language. And apparently, written language tends to be more complex and formal, thus distant and cold. I’m not saying that it’s a negative thing; it has its own functions. One of these functions is making you (the writer) feel more superior and sophisticated while writing those complex sentences that only you can read without your mind drifting. Good writing is often simple. However, simple doesn’t necessarily mean easy.
Here’s how you can make your writing more appealing to people.
You don’t need to write complex sentences to express complex ideas.
If you’ve ever seen experts or specialists of a certain discipline talk, you might have noticed that their language is quite simple and tangible. They talk as if they would do on a lunch break. They use their jargon, of course, but they don’t use more than what’s necessary. My experience showed me that when people talk about a complex subject, they tend to use simple language because the point is communication. Complex language hinders communication. Real experts won’t use complex language because they have nothing to prove and they won’t let language get in their way when they communicate.
To give you an example. When musicians want to finish the song on a satisfying note, they won’t say “let’s take play the dominant 7th chord before we end the song on the root.” All of them know that. They will just say “let’s go home;” it’s all it takes to send the message. Only a person who wants to show off that about their music theory knowledge would say such a thing.
Spoken language is like the athletic clothing of ideas. It’s more efficient!
My point here is not saying that conversational language is always the best option. Poetry allows you to say things that you wouldn’t normally say in a conversation. Additionally, many pros writers, philosophers, scientists, and authors can’t help but write using fancy lingo. There are also some instances where complex language is used intentionally when announcing bad news publically. This strategy softens the sock for the public. Another example is some disciplines of humanities.
However, it’s better to use conversational language for everything else that isn’t related to the above, especially online writing like blogs and articles.
How to write in spoken language?
It might be hard to write in conversational language. Old writing habits die hard! The solution is to write the first draft like you usually do, and see if it sounds like something you’d say in a conversation with your close friend. If not, try to imagine how you would say it in that situation. With practice, this filter will come to you naturally as you type.
Before you publish your texts, try to read them out loud first and see if it sounds like what you’d normally say in a friendly conversation. You can take it even up a notch by paying attention to the rhythm of the sentence. If the rhythm of a sentence seems off to you, try to reformulate the thing.
What else can help you to write in a conversational tone?
The simplest answer is to have a conversation with someone about what you’re writing and then write it as you talked it. You’ll appreciate this a lot once you start getting compliments about your writing style.
Conclusion
People often notice that a writer is good when they read a text that is in a conversational tone. It feels more like a human talking. With this on your mind and with practice as well, you’ll be ahead of most of the writers. And remember, if you want to be a writer, all you have to do is start writing, right now!!!
Best Regards from Anonymous Writer.
