Great nonfiction is short, simple, direct, and about the reader. THE FOUR SCRIBE WRITING PRINCIPLES 1. MAKE IT SHORT This is the most important principle. If you get this one right, the rest (usually) take care of themselves. Keep your writing short on all levels. Short chapters (usually no more than 4k words). Short paragraphs (2-3 sentences). Short sen- tences (5-20 words). Even shorter words (less than 12 characters). Brevity forces economy and effectiveness. When you put a space constraint on your writing, it compels you to focus on the essential and cut the rest. The same applies with words. Short words force you to be clear. How many times have you seen someone use big words to mask their lack of true understanding? Hey professor, throwing in “obsequiousness” doesn’t make you sound smart—it just tunes people out. One key point: make it as short as possible without leaving anything out. Short does not mean missing essential content. 2. MAKE IT SIMPLE Simple is very similar to short, but not the same thing. You can write something that’s short but complex. That doesn’t work well. Simple words and sentences force you to write in plain English. Even difficult and complex ideas can be broken down into small words and short sentences. As Richard Feynman said, if you cannot explain your idea simply, it probably means you don’t fully under- stand it (which is bad, if you’re writing a book). Simple words and sentences also enable you to be understood by 134 · ThE SCriBE METhOD