“The point of writing is not just to be understood, but to make it impossible to be misunderstood.” – Cicero, Roma Orator.
Having
clicked on the link, the odds are that you are a writer. It’s not
necessary that you need to be a novelist or a journalist, to be called a
writer. Simply put, a writer is someone who writes. You may be writing
letters, reports, memos, daily diary, or even the annual Christmas
cards, you are a writer nevertheless. Now, the question arises that
whether, it’s even possible to learn how to improve our writing skills.
Despite the popular belief that writing is a god-given talent, I’d say
yes, everyone can learn to improve their writing skills. All it takes
are two very simple principles, namely, the 3Cs, and the 3Ps.
The 3Cs: Your writing needs to be Crisp, Concise and Coherent.
The 3Ps: Planning, Preparation and Perseverance.
Let’s go ahead and try to understand each of them, individually.
The
3Cs: I remember getting a letter from my bankers, updating me about
the change in one of their policies, about maintaining the minimum
balance in the account. The reason why they chose me, to be among the
first ones of their customers, to send that update is evident from the
fact that my account balance, almost always, falls below the minimum
permissible limit of shame. Anyway, coming back to the letter, a part of
it, read something like this:
'We
will not charge the $10 and $15 fee, if the minimum quarterly balance in
your account, is at least $250, during the period we put the charge. If
you only choose to pay a charge, resulting from the charge you earlier
paid, in the previous charging period, we will promptly refund the
charge, if you bring the error in charging to our notice.'
WHAT?
Sorry, Mr. Banker, but you lost me at...well, ab-initial. Needless to
say, that I ultimately, had to talk to one of their customer service
representatives, and make her explain the context of this gobbledegook
letter to me, in plain English.
What they wanted to inform me was, that
henceforth, if my account balance falls below $250, the bank will be
levying a fee of $10, in the first instance, and $15, in case of any
subsequent instance, and that I should inform them immediately, in case
of any erroneous fee, and they will refund the same to me.
49 words, as
against 65, in their letter.
This
explains the need for the 3Cs, which are, Crisp, Concise and Coherent.
Try to be absolutely clear and crisp, in your writing. A good way to do
this, is to write, like you speak- just make it shorter and tighter.
Remember, the 10 commandments are written in just 130 words, while the
whole American Declaration of Independence, consists of just 485 words.
Be a miser, in using your words. Remember to KISS- Keep It Short &
Simple.
I shall
cover the principle of 3Ps, in my next post, very soon.
*Be enlightened, keep reading*
Find out more about me, and my books, by clicking here: MY WEBSITE
Great start and congratulations on your blog. Keep writing.
ReplyDeleteThanks! It's more like a blogging redux :)
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