Canonical · Craft & Focus · Magazine essay

How to Write Clearly

Edward T. Thompson · 1980

"Clear writing is a product of outlining before you write, knowing exactly how much your reader already knows, and ruthlessly cutting anything that shows off instead of explains."

The idea

Edward T. Thompson, then editor-in-chief of Reader's Digest, reduced nineteen years of editing down to five rules that cover almost every clarity problem a writer runs into.

Why it works

The takeaway — recall it first

How to Enjoy the Classics

"Classics feel unreadable because people approach them as assignments to survive rather than books to be read on their own terms — with context, patience, and a willingness to keep going past the slow opening."

Steve Allen · Magazine essayContinue→