How to 'write good'

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Maybe that's a job application, a speech at an event, a letter to your grandmother, a letter of complaint or even a random posting on Facebook. The point is that it must be persuasive and interesting.

There are several theories about how to evaluate the effectiveness of writing and we'll take a look at three of them. Of course, the very best test by far, in my opinion, is if the result of what you say results in sales the next day or the increase in the amount of applause and laughter you get at your next speech.

1. THE GUNNING FOG INDEX (It's American, by the way)

How readable is your writing?

a) Take a sample of 100 words of something you've written (or that your agency's written for you).

b) Count the number of sentences and find the average number of words per sentence

c) Count the number of difficult words – any word with more than three syllables or more.

d) Add the average number of words per sentence to the number of difficult words. Multiply your answer by .4 to determine the readability level.

Let's try it with with the first 100 words of this section (paragraph one and most of paragraph two).

Average of 20 words per sentence + 12 difficult words per hundred = 32.

32 x 0.4 = 14.8

So according to the Gunning Fog Index my 100 words scored a 14.8 grade.

What these grades mean:

This might lead me to believe I should write in a slightly “easier” way (which I have no intention of doing, by the way).

2. THE RUDOLPH FLESCH INDEX

a) Take the same sample of 100 words.

b) Count all the personal words: First, second and third person pronouns (I, you, his etc).

c) Count all the personal sentences: Spoken sentences, questions, commands, exclamations, sentences addressed to the reader.

d) Multiply the 'personal words' per 100 words by 3.655 and multiply the number of 'personal sentences' by 0.314 then add the two figures together.

Thus:

Personal words are 6.

6 x 3.635 = 21.81

Personal sentences:
(3 out of 5 = 60 per 100)

60 x 0.314 = 18.84

Total = 40.65

This is the table that explains how “interesting” the writing is:

So whilst my first 100 words were 'difficult' to read (Gunning) they were, however, 'very interesting' (Flesch).

3. THE HUGH CLARK INDEX

This is used to determine how 'emotionally charged' the writing is.

a) Take the same sample of 100 words.

b) Count the number of words (short adjectival or adverbial phrases that assert or imply emotion.

c) Multiply the number of emotional words by 6 which will give a rough estimate of the amount of emotion portrayed.

In my 100 words there are 4 of these words so 4 x 6 = 24

The scale range is:

0 = No emotional expression
100 = Loaded with emotion.

So, I now know that my 100 words are difficult (academic) but very interesting yet below emotionally average to read. This is quite a good result for a story like this, because it's hardly an emotional topic after all is it?

Try the same on something you've written yourself.

It's quite fun actually – even if the results are vaguely spurious.

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