Showing you how to write clearly and quickly
Great writing can be systematized and taught. And it’s far more than just correct
grammar. This is ClearWriter’s philosophy in brief. With decades of experience as
writers and editors, we’ve pored over the best essays, books, and corporate memos
to figure out what sets apart the most eloquent and powerful. The result is our
online training, ClearEdits software, and instructor-led workshops.
The best writing is concise, direct, concrete, and detailed. With ClearWriter’s
straightforward techniques for planning, writing, and editing, anyone can write
better in less time.
Note cards in a shoebox
Cut 2,200 pages of economic reporting on Korea to 600 and render its jargon in eloquent,
compelling language—without infuriating its authors. This was ClearWriter founder
Bruce Ross-Larson’s first assignment as a budding editor back in the 1970s. Before
long, Bruce realized that he was making the same edits again and again, so he wrote
each standard edit on a note card. The note cards soon filled a shoebox. Then they
filled a drawer. And then a cabinet.
From these cards—and years of working on books and flagship reports for such institutions
as the World Bank, the United Nations, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development—came the core of ClearWriter’s philosophy: Great writing can be
systematized and taught. This idea animated Bruce’s five books, published by W.W.
Norton, Edit Yourself, Stunning Sentences, Powerful Paragraphs, Riveting Reports,
and Writing for the Information Age. The spread of the Internet, with its scalability
and interactivity, offered an even more compelling way to deliver this message.
ClearWriter was born.
ClearWriter’s tools and resources have already helped thousands of clients write
concise, compelling prose in less time. We hope to help thousands more—and to have
a conversation with our readers about our passion: great writing and how to create
it.
Communications Development Incorporated
ClearWriter is a division of Communications Development Incorporated (CDI), a Washington,
D.C. communications firm. In addition to developing ClearWriter, CDI provides editing
and planning services to clients including the United Nations, the World Bank, the
U.S. Department of Education, and the Center for Global Development. For information
about CDI’s editing services, contact our office at 202.775.2183.
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