The last weekend I was engaged in a discussion about writing. For all those who have read Ken Roman’s (ex-CEO of Ogilvy & Mather), ‘How to write better’ will attest to his wisdom:
- The reader does not have much time
- Know where you are going
- Make what you write easy to read
- Short sentences & short paragraphs
- Make your writing vigorous and direct
- Avoid clichés
- Avoid vague modifiers
- Use specific concrete language
- Find the right word
- Don’t make spelling mistakes
- Don’t over write or over state
- Come to the point
- State things as simply as you can
- Handle numbers consistently
- Avoid needless words
- Be concise, but readable
- Be brief, simple and natural
- Don’t write like a bureaucrat or a lawyer
- Never be content with your first draft
- Have somebody else look over your draft
… & those of us who have been students of Kaizen understand the value of asking Why 5 times. It is so interesting to see the similarities and differences. Although Kaizen involves asking ‘why’ at the end (counter intuitive to what is expected to be already clear and precise) , better writing starts with asking ‘why’ before one starts.
It is the dichotomy between developing a strategy and analysis.
I might just add a certain amount of indulgence through ambiguity is an essential ingredient in the romance of a good creative.
