This post on sentence length was published on GOV.UK in 2014, but the benefits of writing shorter sentences remain the same today. One other thing that I always emphasise when running training sessions is one idea per sentence. It forces you to think about what you are trying to say and helps get the word count down.
Writing
Posts about techniques, tips and best practices for writing clear, useful and effective content.
4 postsPosts tagged with Writing
UX Writing: How to Get the Writing Done
I can recommend this short talk on the writing process by Scott Kubie, which sets out four stages for each 'assignment'.
It's all great, but I want to particularly second the idea of creating an outline before you get started. That could be a few bullet points, draft headings or even a sentence that describes what will go where.
Things might change when you get into the meat of things, but that's okay. Everything changes. Change is good. Life is change.
Scott has a personal website absolutely full of content-related resources that you should also visit and explore.
The Handy List of Human Words
This is a great list of complex words with clearer alternatives. It was put together by Deanna Horton, a content designer currently at Shopify. I'm actually working on a similar list as a permanent resource on Clear Language Club.
It sounds silly, but just looking at a complex word alongside a more everyday alternative is a great way to understand plain language. Examples make it easier to see the difference. Classic show rather than tell.
10 principles for writing in plain English
A few years ago, Gather Content asked me to write an article for them that outlined some of the principles of plain English. In general, I always think it's a good idea to start with principles when you're learning something new. Get the essentials down and then go from there.
Anyway, the piece proved popular and you can still read it online today – hooray for the internet! Quick disclaimer – Gather Content got bought out by Bynder and they have added a few images and maybe made some changes to the copy.
Some of it looks very unfamiliar, but most of it is mine!
