“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything,by prayer and petition,with thanksgiving,present your requests to God.”Philippians 4:6 (NIV)
A few weeks back I read a post where Cec Murphey said, “When we try to correct sloppy writing we don’t have to become sesquipedalians (look it up). Say it in direct, easy-to-understand words. If we do, we communicate. Get it? We actually communicate with readers and they understand what we mean.”
I looked up Sesquipedalians. It means “given to using long words.” The Latin sesquipedalis means measuring a foot and a half.
In some of my first writing I used the Thesaurus to find extraordinary words. It didn’t take me long to understand that a foot and a half word stopped the reader mid-sentence and editors didn’t appreciate my efforts, either.
Scripture is written for the average reader to understand. Jesus said, “Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” John 14:1 is simple and direct.
PRAYER: Lord, you know writers struggle to find ways to keep readers reading. Help us to ask for your guidance and not be afraid when we submit an article. Amen