Make it Plain

Spring, 2020

Here’s the definitive guide to improving your writing by making it plain and simple. This helpful handbook is based on the 2010 Plain Writing Act that requires all federal agencies to use clear communication that the public can understand and use.

Learn the secrets of writing for your reader, not for yourself. You will see the advantage of using pronouns when possible, of stating your main points first, and then providing details. Plain writing also requires you to stick to your topic, and to write in the active voice rather than passive. One of the main components of clear writing is to concentrate on the reader, and not on yourself. Limiting each of your paragraphs to one idea and keeping it short is just one of many secrets to make you a great communicator.