I recently bought a new cell phone for my son. It's one of those really cheap cell phones in a decrepit model and a design devoid of any of those modern functions. No camera, no MP3 players, no scheduler....nothing. Just a phone which serves its purpose. My son is 7, he doesn't need any of those expensive phones, so, the phone meets the requirements. On the other hand, my husband uses an iPhone while I use a PDA which I bought for RM2,288 (USD700) at that point in time which was about a year and a half ago. But when I look at my kid's phone and compare it to my bulkier but funkier PDA, I thought to myself, "You know, I think I like the simplicity of my son's phone when compared to my own expensive PDA". Sure, I bought the PDA because I needed to use the calendar and reminders and I DO use it! But sometimes, the simpler things are, the better they are.

Forget the flowers, your articles don't need them

The same goes for the articles that you write. Too much flair, too many bombastic words, too many obvious points will make the article too congested. It only serves to make the article look like it's written by a 'professional' with an adequate vocabulary. The more flowery the article is, the more effort it will take for your readers to understand what you're trying to get at. So, ditch all of that and stick to simple language, get to the point and make sure you read it over and over again, to ensure that whatever you've typed out is understandable at first read.

Writing and Thinking at the same time helps keep your articles simple and easy to understand

Maybe I'm just a simple person who prefers no flowers, no frills, no flair when I'm reading. Writers who try to hard to impress turns a lot of people off. That's why professional writers who writes for the web don't try to hard to think of words that they don't normally use when they write. And that's also how freelance writers like me write fast. I think and write at the same time - my train of thought chugs at the same speed my fingers are tapping on the keyboard. The moment someone interrupts my train of thought, I stop writing. But it makes the writing process a much faster one and it produces quality articles that speak to the readers in a simple and casual manner without compromising the professional feel to it.

Internet readers are a lazy bunch of folks!

Writing in a simple manner is particularly important on the Internet because people who read via the computer are a lazy bunch of folks! Really, admit it! Many people don't bother reading past the first paragraph if the writer does not capture the attention of the reader or the message is lost by the third line. It's easy to lose the reader when the writer spends a lot of time just spinning a web of words that makes no sense to common folks who are not writers. Unless you're writing for a literary project or for subjects who are proficient in the language, I say write like you're writing to your best friend. Like my son's cell phone, simple is sometimes the best.