Leadership Journal

Yes. Content makes an article worthwhile; style makes it readable. We are dedicated to sharp, readable prose with a conversational tone.

We recommend The Elements of Style by Strunk and White as a guide for style. A few important principles include:

• Use action verbs. Forms of the verb "to be"—is, was, were, etc.—make for dull writing. In every possible case, choose the active voice.
• Tell stories. Illustrate your points with colorfully crafted narrative. By basing principles in specific experiences, you'll show how to minister effectively amid the complexity and ambiguity of real life.
• If in doubt, choose the short sentence. Variety of length, of course, contributes to good style, but writers err more often with too many long sentences than too many short ones.
• Pick the right word. This will usually be the simplest word that carries the meaning you want. Some critics claim scholars and professionals purposely write to obfuscate meaning, to cover fuzzy thinking, or to sound intellectual. Elegant prose uses everyday language well.
• Assume your reader bores easily. Remember, if he flips the page from lack of interest, you've lost! Keep asking yourself, "What grabs my attention? An illustration? A fresh insight? A well-turned phrase?" Keep the reader with you by introducing a constant stream of interesting material.

After putting your first draft on paper, go through it and see how many action verbs you have as part of your revision process. Mark each noun you can taste, hear, see, smell, or feel. You can see hubcaps, brick walls, coffee mugs, and lightning bugs. Good writers fill their prose with visual objects. Be as specific as possible. For instance, "Toyota" is better than "car" for conjuring up an image. "Prius" is even better. Write in your own voice; styles do differ. But we are looking for a readable, conversational, and confident style.