Today’s letter in the A-Z Challenge K.

K= KISS

Keep It Super Simple

Fooled you didn’t I?

We’ve all heard the acronym KISS but have you thought about applying it to your writing?

“The bigger the issue, the smaller you write. Remember that. You don’t write about the horrors of war. No. You write about a kid’s burnt socks lying on the road. You pick the smallest manageable part of the big thing, and you work off the resonance.” ~ Richard Price

Here is a challenge.

Take a piece you’ve written and cut every third sentence. Or cut the word count by one-third. Can you do it and keep what is truly important?

“Any fool can make something complicated. It takes a genius to make it simple.”~Woody Guthrie

So, just what have y’all taught me this past year about writing short and sweet?

1. When a reader can’t understand or follow the story, they stop reading. KISS 
2. Life is complicated but good writing doesn’t have to be. KISS
3. Writing tight and concise produces a better product. KISS
4. Simple words and simple sentence structures don’t mean stupid. KISS
5. Knowing your subject is important. Communicating that knowledge to your readers is equally important. KISS
6. Conveying a message in easy bite-size, succinct, and easily digestible pieces take talent. KISS
7. Using ten-dollar words can come across as pretentious and lazy. KISS
8. It takes work to know and write for your audience. KISS
9. Write small, simple and get to the point. Your readers will thank you. KISS

Do you make writing harder and more complicated than it needs to be?

Have you mastered the knack of KISS in your writing?

Talk to me, the lights on and comments are now open.

You can find me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdelland Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! Please remember to click and share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.

Want to know more about KISS? Click the links below.

K.I.S.S. by Rob Parnell

New Book Excerpt: Keep It Simple, But Not Simplistic by ANN HANDLEY

Keep It Super Simple By Kayla Skarbakka

KISS — Keep It Simple, Stupid! How to write about a complex subject in a simple way by Devyani Borade