Friday, November 09, 2007

This Blog's Reading Level?

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I have a confession to make. I have long felt I could vastly improve my prose style. I have wanted from the beginning of this blog to discuss complex ideas in a very easy to read and understand manner. And I thought I was making some progress towards that goal until... until I took the test. You see the results of the test: This blog has a college level reading level. Yikes!

Naturally, I blame the condom commercial. Obviously, the condom commercial skewed the results. After all, it can't be me. I've worked way too hard cleaning up my prose for it to be me. Damn that condom commercial!

The irony here is it took me six tries to figure out what I was doing wrong to get the very simple, user friendly "reading level program" to work -- yet supposedly, I've somehow managed to write at a college level despite that I cannot for the life of me get a very simple, user friendly program to work on the first try.

I'll sue the makers of the condom commercial. That's what I'll do. Yes, I'll sue them.

7 comments:

C. L. Hanson said...

Haha, I got Jr. High!!! I think it's because I use too many exclamation points... :D

Paul Sunstone said...

You got Jr. High? That's because you're a published pro. I'm just and amateur and I don't know yet how to write as clearly and beautifully as you, Chanson. But the day is coming! (It might take a while, though)

C. L. Hanson said...

Aw, shucks, you're too sweet!!!

I will admit, though, that I do a lot of re-writing (even on stuff that's "just for my blog") to make my posts as clear as possible. If I want people to understand my ideas, I feel like it's my responsibility to do the work, not the reader's.

Paul Sunstone said...

I spend a lot of time writing and re-writing, but what I haven't figured out yet is how to make my words clearer without coming smack up against writer's block.

Writer's block has been a huge problem for me in the past. I've overcome it by learning that the closer I write to how I think, the less writer's block. Yet, the less writer's block, the more difficult my writing is to read. It drives me nuts.

I really don't know how you do it. Except to recognize that you have a gift and you've developed it very well.

Webs said...

LOL Paul!

Dont listen to this stupid website. Believe me when I say, that if I am a reader your site is not at a very complex reading level... ;-P

I for one think your words are very clear and concise.

I too got Junior High on mine, I was highly amused.

Anonymous said...

Your humor is splendid! Sometimes I really do Laugh Out Loud...very witty

Paul Sunstone said...

Thank you, Webs and Enreal! I still blame that awful condom commercial for upping the reading level of this blog. I just know it can't be me!