Clear writing:

• is clear thinking on paper
• contains specific information which is relevant to the reader
• keeps to plain language principles
• is logically arranged and easy to follow

Clear writing is effortless reading that makes you want to read more. It is clear and concise, uses short sentences and simple words. It keeps to the facts and is easy to read and to understand.

Two factors to consider when writing clearly are the intended audience and purpose or reason for writing.  If you’re writing a letter to your grandparents to thank them for a birthday present, then the audience and purpose will be completely different than if you’re writing a cover letter for a prospective employer.

Audience

If you know that your audience is familiar with your subject, then you won’t need as many details to make the subject clear.

If you’re writing an essay about a short story for your college instructor, then you can assume that he/she is familiar with the short story — you won’t need much background information or summary of the short story .  Those details might be necessary, though, if the essay is supposed to be written for your peers who haven’t read the short story.

In each of these cases, clarity would depend on your audience.

Think about what your audience knows about the situation or topic you’re writing about. Then, guide them through the information they need to know. To help you do this, try answering the following questions:

• Who is my audience?
• What does my audience already know about the subject?
• What does my audience need to know?
• What questions will my audience have?
• What’s the best outcome for our audience? What do I need to say to get this outcome?

Purpose

Once you’ve established your audience, then consider your purpose or reason for writing this piece.

Are you trying to persuade your reader to change a viewpoint?  Are you explaining a concept or teaching a new idea?  Are you comparing and contrasting information from different articles?  Are you reporting a breaking story or a community event?

Determining the purpose for the writing can help you as you revise for clarity.  Is that purpose clear to your readers?

• In a persuasive essay, you’ll want to make sure that your own voice is heard clearly throughout and doesn’t get drowned out by outside sources.
• If the focus is to explain or teach, clarity will depend on giving steps in the correct order or not moving too quickly from one idea to the next.
• When you compare and contrast, it’s important that the reader can clearly find the two (or more!) items or ideas that you’re comparing and can also follow your organization.
• If you’re writing an article to report an event, you’ll want to eliminate bias as much as possible and stick to “just the facts” to make the story clear.