Even when writing for work, it can feel intensely personal. So when we get feedback about our writing, we tend to dismiss it as a superficial style preference. This framing conveniently allows us to ignore any advice we don’t like. But Professors Catherine J. Cameron and Lance N. Long will not let us off the hook that easily. In The Science Behind the Art of Legal Writing, the authors ask: Does advice about legal writing style have any basis in science?
If advice is supported by science, then we should follow it. But if it’s just a hunch, we can write how we see fit. In “Chapter 19: Is Less More?” Cameron and Long investigate the origins and justifications for the advice to be concise.
In this chapter, you’ll learn:
- the history of adult literacy research
- how readability assessments have changed over time
- how length and complexity affect persuasiveness
If this chapter inspires you to simplify and shorten your legal writing, try WordRake. WordRake is editing software for Microsoft Word and Outlook that will help tighten and tone your writing with one click. Try WordRake for free for 7 days!
Chapter reprinted with permission. Originally published in The Science Behind the Art of Legal Writing, Second Edition by Catherine J. Cameron and Lance N. Long. Copyright © 2019. Complete book available from Amazon.com.
