Dear Reader
Labouring long and hard over our finely wrought prose and poetry is something we tend to encourage here at Writing Magazine. It’s our job as writers to ensure every word we write is evocative, appropriate and efficient. As that familiar saying goes, ‘Easy reading is hard writing.’ But we do have a tendency – all of us – to interpret that as some kind of instruction for perfection. As if every sentence, every phrase, must stand as an artistic creation in its own right; testament to the writer’s skill and literary dexterity. There isn’t, in itself, anything wrong with that aim but, as we discover this month (see p12), the opposite can be just as true. Writing is all about communicating a message and there is undeniable beauty in clean, effective prose that can be understood by as broad a range of readers as possible. As George Orwell famously advised us, ‘Never use a long word where a short one will do.’
Getting your message across in the way that is most appropriate for your audience might seem somehow less glamorous, but can be every bit as skilful as tripping the write fantastic. And every time you try to do the former, your close consideration for form and clarity help you to get better at the latter. Knowing the right tool for the job can be more impressive than demonstrating your mastery of every tool in the workshop, but, thankfully, we’re here to help you choose and show you how to use them.