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Subject:Re: Dumbing it down From:Ed Gregory <edgregory -at- HOME -dot- NET> Date:Wed, 9 Dec 1998 19:53:04 -0600
Dave Whelan totally missed my point. At no place in my message did he read
an "exhortation for us all to write like...." anybody in particular.
My point then and now is that clear, concise writing is not "dumbing
down". I provided several examples of "great literature" that was written
clearly and concisely, but certainly not for "dumb" audiences.
My point was and remains this:
We can write simply AND intelligently. Most great writers do. Whether or
not we "write simply" is not about how much or how little jargon we
include, or about how common or arcane the topic. Writing "simply" is
simply about the craft of writing.
At 11:34 AM 12/9/98 -0600, Dave Whelan wrote:
>I think Ed's exhortation to us all to write like Carroll, Hardy, Hawthorne,
>and Zola is a bit misplaced. After all, we are technical writers. The
<SNIP>
