Chinese School - Good writing is all about clarity

Opinion / Liang Hongfu

Good writing is all about clarity
By Hong Liang (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-08-01 06:30

Three years into journalism at a Hong Kong newspaper, I thought I was one
of the greatest writers in the profession. My world came crashing down
the first day I went to work for a large US newspaper. It was actually
the first night when I got a call from an editor. His first words were:
"We've got a lot of problems with your story."

My heart sank. Problems? Why, it was only a short, simple earnings story.

He spent more than half an hour going through the story with me, testing
my understanding not only about the company in question, but also the
essentials of corporate analysis. I was mentally exhausted after the
session.

When I read the edited version of my story the next morning, I realized
how bad my original writing was. In the ensuing years I worked at that
newspaper, I received many more late-night calls from various editors. I
still have problems with my writing. But at least I have learned that
those problems almost invariably stemmed from my lack of understanding of
the topics I was writing about.

As one of my editors told me a long time ago, good writing is all about
clarity. This sounds deceptively simple. But not that many people can
write clearly.

In my career, I've read countless press releases, annual reports and
research materials from governments, banks, stockbrokerages, accounting
firms, property consultants and credit rating agencies.

Some of them were deliberately written to confuse and confound readers.
It is no accident for a company whose press release was convoluted and
full of obfuscating language to have posted a big loss. But in most
cases, the writers are to be blamed for the lack of clarity.

Any editor worth his salt can tell you that clear writing goes beyond
language skill. If the writer cannot think clearly, he can never hope to
make the readers understand what he writes no matter how skilful he is
with words.

The newspaper I used to work for requires its reporters to ask themselves
one question before they start writing. The question is this: Why would
readers want to read my story?

To answer this question, the writer must cut through the jumble of facts,
figures and quotes to identify the most significant point of the story he
is going to write. Locking into that focus, the writer can present his
materials in a logical and easy to follow sequence without requiring the
reader to go back and forth the story in search of cues.

This simple rule should apply not only to newspaper writing but also to
the composition of speeches, research reports, press releases, company
brochures, business correspondence and, of course, resumes. Many students
of English have been misled into believing that a few cute words and
clever sentences can work wonders. Others try to cover up their ignorance
of the subjects about which they write by a liberal use of technical
jargon and special terms that are understood only by the people in the
profession.

As a business writer, I read the Wall Street Journal and Financial Times
regularly. I find their stories are much easier to follow than those in
many other newspapers.

That's because the writers at those two distinguished newspapers usually
succeed in getting me hooked early on in their stories and never lose me
in the narrative. I can't say the same about the two-page press release
that just landed on my desk. Whatever the writer of that announcement
wanted to tell me is buried forever in the turgid prose.

Email: jamesleung@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 08/01/2006 page4)

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