November 20, 2009 Jason

Is your writing clear?

Here at brandscaping.ca we like to focus on anything that brings clarity to your world, whether it’s clearer skin, clearer mind, or clearer communications.  Today we are looking at clearer communications, and checking out a few sites that will help you deliver your message effectively.

There are times when what you are writing and what you are thinking is crystal clear to you – because you know what you are trying to say.  But sometimes, it’s not that clear to the reader.  If you think back to the times where you were confused by what you were reading, you might appreciate these links:

  • Reading Effectiveness Tool – A guide to help you draft your document for the right audience.  You wouldn’t give your thesis to a grade 8 remedial English class, and you wouldn’t want to write your blog post about Paris Hilton with too many multi-syllable words.
  • The Chicago Manual of Style – Wherever you write, you are going to need to follow a guide.  Your editor should be able to let you know which style your team will work with, but the Chicago style is a good backup.
  • OWL – Purdue Online Writing Lab – Absolutely essential link for anyone that even thinks about writing.  Quick and easy resource to find the answer to any question you might have about the rules of writing.  When to use a colon or semicolon.  Split infinitives, dangling participles, possessive pronouns and more can be found at OWL.

The point of being a writer is to communicate an idea clearly and effectively.  If your writing requires further explanation, it’s not clear enough.

Here are a few examples of mixed messages – don’t let your writing end up being someone else’s bad example!

Which way?
Pick a brand – just one

– Jason

, ,

Discover the difference a professional copywriter can bring to your message.