Zen writing - How to write effectively

"It is like a finger pointing away to the moon. Don't concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory" -Bruce Lee in 'Enter the Dragon (1973)'

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" -Leonardo Da Vinci

1. Your main goal in writing is so that your readers understand

Do not concentrate on making your sentences sound sophisticated. Concentrate on conveying your thoughts and make it as easy-to-understand as possible. Avoid being cryptic if you want to connect with your readers. Avoid using "big" words.  Remember, your primary purpose is to get them to understand what you mean.

2. Simplicity–Less is better and more sophisticated

People generally gravitate towards simplicity. If you write emails at work, it's better to write a two-sentence email than a paragraph, as the reader will more likely to read it. You have to realise the fact that people generally don't like to read. Use as few words as possible. For example, instead of writing:

"I'm writing to inform you that we are unable to action your request. In order for us to action the request we require a certified identification of the client. Please forward this to our office. Once we receive it we will proceed with actioning your request. Thank you,"

write:

"We require certified client identification before we are able to process your request. Please forward this to our office and we will action accordingly. Thank you"