Idea 46: Say it as clearly as you can
If any man wishes to write in a clear style, let him first be clear in his thoughts.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German writer
As early as the seventeenth century, the first historian of the Royal Society, Thomas Sprat, mentioned the Society’s rejection of the ‘amplifications, digressions and swellings of style’ seen in contemporary writings, in favour of a ‘close, natural and naked way of speaking’.
As Goethe suggests, if you are clear in your mind about what you want to say, the style of your writing will tend to reflect that clarity. Conversely, if your mind is muddled, so will be your style.
One test for clarity is to read aloud what you have just written. If it sounds sloppy, inconclusive, blurred, confused, ...
