While Richard Dowis laughs as he shares headlines from publications, he chastises the writers.
The state of writing “shows disregard, disrespect for the English language. It’s deplorable … these errors could be avoided for the most part,” he told the American Agricultural Editors’ Association annual meeting earlier this month.
Dowis is a journalist, author and educator who helped found the Society for the Preservation of English Language and Literature. SPELL and its 2,000 members are dedicated to eliminating printed mistakes in the media.
Dowis said journalists should be careful with the words they write, and know their precise meaning.
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Readers are inundated with material, so writers must make stories clear and interesting so “readers believe, think and do what you want them to … Make them feel something, react to something.”
He listed the “five c’s of good writing”: clear, concise, complete, correct and considerate. Dowis said writers should help readers all they can through clear communication.
This includes using proper sentence structure, punctuation, precise words, and following grammar rules.
Watch what words mean: “Good writing doesn’t require a large vocabulary. Good writers use words properly.”
Dowis asked if people write to communicate, or write to impress someone. The latter can turn a writer into a “pompous nincompoop.”
Stories should be concise. Dowis said good writers always revise. He recommended they use fewer words, cutting out verbal clutter.
“Cut down the material the reader must assimilate to get the message.”
Keeping the writing simple doesn’t reflect the product of simple minds. It still can have grace and power, not call attention to itself, and allow readers to focus on the message.
Everyday language can become powerful with short words, he said.
“You don’t have to use big words to express big ideas.”
