[Hard_Space]

Like many on HN, I admire the simplified language guidelines [0]that the UK GOV network of informational sites imposes on itself. A government has a civic duty to make regulatory and legal information as easy to understand as possible, for the widest gamut of possible readers who are subject to the laws of the land.

However, those sites have a captive audience: anyone smarter than the 'lowest common denominator' UK GOV target reader, any reader who might have appreciated a more concise and less 'hand-held' style, is going to keep reading anyway, because the information is important and non-negotiable.

Outside of that context, most pieces you might like to read were commissioned with maximum word-counts, varying levels of assumed readership skill and prior knowledge, and diverse other factors that defy any 'universal style-guide', such as TFA is trying to formulate.

For instance, I write about technology for a living. Those commissions have word-count restrictions that force me to either:

- Say less, so that I can maintain a level of English suitable for a moderately-skilled non-English speaker (As you can imagine, the editor does not want me to 'say less').

- Use more compressed and concise language that may be more challenging for the non-native reader (because concision can be antithetical to simplicity [and my editor also wants prose that is accessible to the widest number of readers without alienating the target demographic for that particular piece]).

- Write boldly and use footnotes and references to justify the claims I am making, because:

a) I don't have enough word-count for 'explainers' and 'box-outs'

b) I'm expected to deliver a lot of information, and

c) I'm expected to write in the simplest style available, depending on the intent of the commission.

It's bad enough that the dictates of SEO have dumbed down so much content from once-great news and analysis providers over the last ten years. Let's not support any further race to the bottom, but rather aim to write lean and information-rich material in a style that's matched to the readership.

[0] https://www.gov.uk/guidance/content-design/writing-for-gov-u...

[DrBazza]

The word count is interesting. Presumably that's to approximately fill a "page", and provide a "familiar feel" to all articles on a site written by different authors?

That's a good link and states what I was trying to say:

"""Good content is easy to read

Good online content is easy to read and understand.

It uses:

    short sentences
    sub-headed sections
    simple vocabulary

This helps people find what they need quickly and absorb it effortlessly.

The main purpose of GOV.UK is to provide information - there’s no excuse for putting unnecessarily complicated writing in the way of people’s understanding."""

[Hard_Space]

> Presumably that's to approximately fill a "page", and provide a "familiar feel" to all articles on a site written by different authors?

No, a word count is dictated either by the fact that the article is intended for print as well as (or instead of) the web, or else the latest SEO voodoo rumor suggests that this month 2k word articles are doing better than 3k word articles.

[DrBazza]

> or else the latest SEO voodoo rumor suggests that this month 2k word articles are doing better than 3k word articles.

Is that really a thing? Sounds awful.

[Veen]

I also write for a living. The maximum word count often has more to do with how much the client is willing to pay than space or SEO concerns.

[Hard_Space]

I think Stephen King was quoting someone else when he said "I wrote a novel because I didn't have time to write a short story".

In my experience, getting the same core information into a smaller word count is extra work, not less.

[Veen]

He was paraphrasing Pascal: "I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time".

I agree with the general point, but when a writer has a commercial relationship based on word counts, it changes the equation. I dislike word-count based contracts for that reason, but when the CEO of Widget Company Ltd hires me to ghost-write his blog articles, he isn't usually receptive to "you can have a 1000-word article for $400 or an 800-word article for $500".