Ponder this. Why do you write (no matter what you write)? To communicate? Yes. So, tell me. What good is it if your reader is confused by what you've written?

Whether it be your novel, instruction manual, travel magazine piece or just an ad, if those reading find it difficult to follow, you’ve lost 'em. Simple. The book gets closed, the magazine tossed aside, the advertising ignored. That’s when I tell you, K.I.S.S. my... writing!
 
Okay. Bottom line. The simpler the better. That’s not to say you’re to write "down" to your reader. It’s not that people are stupid (well, not many of them are, and plainly neither my readers nor yours are), it’s just that they’re busy. They’re distracted and let’s face it, nobody, whatever their level of ability, wants to have to stop and decode what they’re reading. So, simply put, keep it simple, stoopid.
 
The concept applies well to all your writing. In general, keep sentences and paragraphs short. Don’t you find it off-putting when confronted by a sea of type with minimum white space? In which case, isn’t it easier to scan a page that offers some breaks? Maybe it’s dialog or shorter paragraphs for fiction. Perhaps it’s sub-headlines in advertising copy. Any number of things can help to draw the reader into the flow of the written page. 
 
Use easily understood words. Some writers have huge vocabularies and use them well. Others, like Hemingway, opt for smaller word data bases. Steinbeck, too, loved single-syllable words. That’s not to say you shouldn't use colorful words. Simple and colorful are not exclusive of the other.
 
The key is clarity. Don’t use a $100 word when a five-cent edition will do. This is especially true when you aren’t comfortable with that C-note word in the first place. When you write what you are comfortable with it will more naturally come across clearly.

Think of when you were a kid. Remember children’s books with large print and lots of pictures? Remember that first time you decided to read a "young adult" book without pictures (well, mostly without, maybe there were a few line drawings at the top of chapters )? Kind of a shock wasn’t it? I think a little bit of that kid stays with us forever -- a sort of “hey, where’re the pictures?” kind of attitude. 
 
Reading aloud to yourself is also a great help when you’re trying to keep your writing simple and clean. Remember, you’re not trying to impress your reader with the size of your vocabulary, your perfect grammar or your long, luxurious sentences. 
 
Nope, that’s not what you’re doing. You're communicating. Telling a story of some kind. Regardless of the genre, the writer is telling a story. 
 
So, think in terms of talking to a friend. When you do, are be speaking to impress, or to effeciently convey something special? 
 
Think about it.

Author of Doubleday western novels, Harlequin romances, Fictionworks' fantasies (Ebook format), Peggy Bechko has also optioned screenplays domestically and abroad, written for an animated series and for variety of other venues. She's working on a new novel and collaborating with a producer on a animated series. http://www.peggybechko.50megs.com/