Plain English Writing Rules | Brian Scott, HubPages

Blogger Brian Scott's introduction to this blog article:

Learn how to write concisely,clearly, and meaningfully — With quotes from famous writers, best-selling authors, and the world's most influential thought leaders of past and present, I will reveal some of the most important techniques to write in plain English--the preferred writing style that all professional and successful writers and journalists use.

He explains that your readers will likely understand your content the first time they read it if you adapt a plain English writing style.

Followed in his blog with photos, quotations and further explanation, here are the Scott's 20 plain English writing rules:

Rule # 1: Know Who Your Reader Is
Rule # 2 : Have Something Important to Say
Rule # 3: Use Familiar Words
Rule # 4: Use the Right Word!
Rule # 5: Avoid Complexity
Rule # 6: Convey Your Intended Meaning to Your Intended Audience!
Rule # 7: Use as Few Words as Possible!
Rule # 8: Avoid Verbosity!
Rule # 9: Avoid Legalese and Jargon
Rule # 10: Pick Simple Words that Match Your Ideas
Rule # 11: Add Rhythm to Your Writing
Rule # 12: Use Concrete, Specific Words
Rule # 13 : Develop an Uncluttered Writing Style
Rule # 14: Omit Abstract Words
Rule # 15: Think Clearly to Write Simply
Rule # 16: Avoid Redundancy
Rule # 17: Hold the Reader's Attention
Rule # 18: Use Words that Your Readers Know
Rule # 19: Explain Your Point Crisply and Clearly
Rule # 20: Write One Thought Per Sentence
Rule # 21: Write Short, Strong Sentences
Rule # 22: Make Rewriting Count!
Rule # 23: Encourage Readers to Read
Rule # 24: Don't Ramble On...End the Ending!

He supports the rules with quotations by folks like Will Rogers, Mark Twain, Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, Blaise Pascal, Barbara W. Tuchman, Hippocrates, and Willa Cather.

For more information on this topic, visit Garbl's Plain English Writing Guide. It describes a seven-step approach to writing clearly and concisely to meet the needs of your readers.