Keeping It Simple

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On building writing skills. Toning it down to turn it up...

-VQ

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I was told that my writing is overly complicated; an adjective I’m all too familiar with. I wouldn’t describe myself as anything less than. I guess the problem with complexity in writing is that it makes the point hard to grasp. The editor in me wanted to go back and change ‘hard to grasp’ to unfathomable, but for this piece I will not do so. Old habits die hard. The problem is I don’t speak using fancy words that your average person may not understand, so I have no idea why I resort to them when I’m creating. I’m hoping that by exploring this tendency I can find a way to change it and make strides with my efforts to become a better writer.

Coincidentally, I can’t stand unclear communication. I prefer people use precise concise language when talking to me instead of making me jump through hoops to comprehend what they are saying. On the other hand, repetition annoys me so hearing and seeing the same words over and over again causes me to clock out mentally. Typically, the words that tend to be repeated are the simple ones, which is why I try to avoid their use altogether. I have to learn how to not be an extremist with such things. I suppose I can be clear, convey complex ideas, AND make them easily understood using commonly used terms. Practice makes perfect after all.

So, let me give it a go. If I’m feeling “fancy” I might describe an accident like this: The velocity at which the car was moving made it impossible to stop in time, causing the tires to hydroplane and skid along the slippery surface, colliding into the pedestrian with unimaginable force. Now that I’ve written it and am focusing on my simplicity skills I realize that not only was the sentence a mouthful, but it did not do its best to convey what happened in a believable or relatable way. How about I say this instead: The car sped down the slick roadway like a bat out of hell sliding into the crossing woman shattering bones on impact. The collision impossible to avoid in the downpour. Steady rain washed away the blood pooling around her limp body sprawled across the pavement.

I understand that while both sentences are descriptive, the latter is more vivid and perhaps paints a clearer picture of what occurred. My goal moving forward is to try and keep it simple in the hopes that my writing elicits relatability. Not with every piece though because while I’m aware that there is an audience I should tailor to, sometimes I write for me. And if the complexity of my diction proves to be too sophisticated for some then I would recommend a dictionary or, in modern times, a simple google search. Until next time…