Writing Principles

2.1Tone and Voice

Establish a voice that suits your purpose and is clear, approachable, and consistent. Use active voice where possible, avoid unnecessary jargon, and respect the reader’s time.

2.1.1Person and Voice

Active voice usually makes the relationship between a person and an action easier to follow. Passive voice can be useful when the action matters more than who performed it.

Active: Alex planted the tomatoes.

Passive: The tomatoes were planted by Alex.

Choose a point of view that suits the piece. Use I for a personal experience, you to address the reader, and third person when describing someone else.

Example: I learned to bake bread last winter.

Example: Let the dough rest before you shape it.

Keep the point of view consistent unless there is a reason to change it.

2.1.2Finding Your Tone

Sound like a person speaking to another person. A friendly voice can still be thoughtful and precise. Let the subject and your relationship with the reader shape how formal you want to be.

Formal: I would be delighted to accept your invitation.

Conversational: I’d love to come.

Both work. Choose the one that sounds like you in that situation.

2.1.3Concise and Memorable Writing

Give each sentence a clear purpose. Remove words that repeat what the reader already knows, but keep details that add meaning or personality.

Avoid: At this point in time, we are in the process of making plans for a picnic.

Prefer: We’re planning a picnic.

Avoid: She nodded her head in agreement.

Prefer: She nodded.

Shorter is useful when it makes the writing clearer. A longer sentence can work just as well when its rhythm and detail earn their place.

2.1.4Making Reading Easier

Use sentence length, paragraph length, and readability tools as prompts for review rather than rigid limits.

• Aim for one clear idea at a time.
• Break up paragraphs when the subject or emphasis changes.
• Mix sentence lengths to create a natural rhythm.
• Replace unnecessarily complicated wording with familiar language.

Avoid: It is recommended that guests make an advance reservation prior to their arrival.

Prefer: Book a table before you arrive.

A readability score can reveal dense wording, but it cannot tell you whether a piece is accurate, engaging, or right for its audience.

2.1.5Give Readers What They Need

Include the information readers need to understand your point or take the next step. Do not make them guess at a missing date, an unfamiliar reference, or a step you have skipped.

Example: Bring a mug to the picnic. We’ll provide the coffee.

Give useful context without explaining every detail. What is obvious to you may be new to the reader.

2.1.6Writing That Holds Up Over Time

Use specific dates instead of relative phrases such as next month when someone may read the piece later. Include time-sensitive details when they matter, and make them easy to check or update.

Avoid: The garden opens next week.

Prefer: The garden opens on May 12.

Separate lasting advice from details likely to change. Do not sacrifice useful precision just to make a piece seem timeless.

2.2Writing for a Global and Diverse Audience

Your reader may live somewhere else, speak another first language, or bring a very different experience to the page. A little context helps them find their way into your writing.

2.2.1Writing Across Languages and Regions

Use plain language when readers may be translating your work or reading in another language. Explain local references that matter to the meaning.

• Avoid idioms when a direct phrase is clearer.
• Make dates, times, and measurements unambiguous.
• Give context for unfamiliar names or terms.
• Adapt references to the audience instead of assuming everyone shares the same background.

2.2.2Inclusivity and Neutral Language

Choose precise, respectful language. Avoid assumptions about a reader’s gender, background, ability, or experience.

Prefer: Each guest can bring their own lunch.

Avoid: Each guest can bring his own lunch.

Use a person’s own terms when they have shared a preference. Include personal characteristics only when they are relevant to the point.

Use varied names, places, and experiences in examples without treating one background as the default.

2.2.3Cultural Sensitivity and Representation

Choose names, places, and experiences with care. A reference that feels obvious to you may be unfamiliar to someone else.

• Explain a cultural reference when it matters to the meaning.
• Let examples reflect a range of people without turning anyone into a stereotype.

2.3Accessibility in Writing

Accessible writing helps more people understand and use your work. Clear language, meaningful structure, and useful descriptions matter alongside visual design.

2.3.1Making Room for More Readers

Make the path through your writing easy to follow. Explain unfamiliar ideas, give each sentence room to breathe, and use headings to show how the pieces fit together.

Color, bold text, and icons can help, but the words should still make sense without those cues.

2.3.2Formatting for Assistive Tools

• Use proper heading structures (e.g., H1, H2) to facilitate navigation for screen readers.
• Include alternative text for images and diagrams that describes their purpose and content.
• Ensure hyperlinks include meaningful text.

Avoid: Click here

Preferable: Learn more about accessibility

2.4Choosing Your Words

A familiar word can make a sentence feel effortless. An unexpected one can make it memorable. Choose for meaning first, then listen to how the sentence sounds.

2.4.1Choosing Words With Care

Choose familiar words when they express your meaning accurately. Explain a specialist term when you need it, rather than expecting the reader to know it.

Avoid: Please utilize the adjacent receptacle.

Prefer: Please use the bin beside the door.

Avoid wording that is vague, dismissive, or based on assumptions about the reader. Precision and respect usually do more work than a list of forbidden words.

2.4.2Writing for Clarity and Simplicity

Plain language lets the idea do the work. Replace a complicated phrase when a familiar one says the same thing, and keep details that make the writing more precise or more yours.

Before: The walk was completely and totally exhausting.

After: The walk was exhausting.

2.5Writing With Other People

When several people contribute to a piece, agree on its purpose, audience, voice, and formatting. Make room for different perspectives while keeping the finished work coherent.

2.5.1Shared Style Decisions

Agree on recurring choices such as spelling, headings, punctuation, and how names appear. Keep a short list of decisions so contributors do not have to resolve the same question repeatedly.

A shared style should help the work hold together without erasing every writer’s personality.

2.5.2Names and Terms From Other Sources

Respect the spelling and capitalization of names used by their owners. If a specialist term is necessary, explain it where readers first encounter it.

For quoted material, preserve the original wording and clearly distinguish your explanation from the quotation. See Terms and Style for related guidance.