Karl Beecher
Does richer language make for better writing, or are things best kept simple? People have fought over this for years and both sides make good points. Consider that choosing from a small set of simple words can stop you using a better word that means almost the same thing. On the other hand, using the kind of language that few people know might turn the reader off.
I should say up front that, when it comes to writing more serious stuff, I like to keep things simple. I follow writers like George Orwell, who told writers to cut words they don’t need, get rid of words with special meanings, and go for short words over longer ones. After all, the less a reader has to wonder about the meanings of words, the more they can fix their attention on the business at hand. But can you go too far when using fewer words?