Crisp writing

Thanks Mahesh Vijapurkar for forwarding the following for the benefit of young journalists:

Roy Peter Clark, a faculty member at http://www.poynter.org which promotes good journalism and skills required for it, has something to say about crisp writing. He cites an edict by Haile Selassie, the Emperor of Ethiopia.

This 1935 edict, conscripting (making army duty compulsory) the citizens as follows:

"All men able to carry a spear go to Addis Ababa.
"Every married man will bring his wife to cook and wash for him.
"Every unmarried man will bring any unmarried woman he can find to cook and wash for him.
"Women with babies, the blind, and those too aged to carry a spear are excused.
"Anyone who qualified for battle and is found at home after receiving this order will be hanged."


Clark says they are 73 razor sharp words when even today, legislation often tends to confuse than bring clarity. Precise. To the point. No verbiage.

This kind of writing, Clark says, makes words worth a thousand pictures.

He has a lot more to say by way of great examples. Read the entire post at http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=78&aid=180071

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