Rule #1: Writing Clearly is not X..
One of the keys to writing clearly is that one has to make it the chief goal.
In other words, writing clearly must be more important than:
-Writing beautifully
-Writing with a sense of humor
-Writing to sound impressive
-Writing to be memorable
-Writing to express your personality
Of course, all these features can also be present, but only if they improve on goal #1.
In fact, one of the secrets of writing clearly is that one should consider only writing clearly as "needed".
For example, most of my blog posts are not written 100% clearly. I allow myself this margin of creativity in order so that I can write clearly in the business context.
Rule #2: Writing Clearly should appear easy
Condensing 40 pages of information into one page is a crappy job.
It is both incredibly difficult and highly unappreciated. Very few can recognize clear writing and even fewer appreciate it.
Rule #3: No tension
A clearly written paper should be read without tension. In other words it should be written with as few ambiguities as possible. The ideal is that every word should only hold one possible meaning. This allows the reader to digest the information without "thinking".
A clearly written paper should be clear to the author. If the author is not fully clear about what he has written (or thought) it is unreasonable to expect the reader to gain such clarity.
Conclusion: So why write clearly?
There is a great paradox when it comes to clear writing. The paradox is that in order to be a great clear writer you must have a goal that is more important than your work.
For example, your goal might be to attain new business or to influence someone positively.
Writing clearly is a lot like designing beautifully: if you do your job well it will go unnoticed.
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