Things to try when your writing feels hard to read

Hello, I'm Wataro.

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I don't like what I've written!

This is a common creator struggle.

One of the reasons you might not be satisfied is that it's hard to read.

"Ugh, it's so dense..."

"My writing is hard to read..."

Yes, the cause is the "density".

One way to resolve this density is through punctuation.

👇I talk about how to use punctuation here.

Are there ways to improve readability other than punctuation?

The second measure is "character balance".

This is the balance between "hiragana, katakana, and kanji".

It is surprisingly effective.

You can change the readability without changing the content.

That is adjusting the character balance.

⭕️ Are you paying attention to hiragana, katakana, and kanji?

What is character balance?

It is adjusting the ratio of hiragana, katakana, and kanji.

It does not mean you should only use one of them.

It becomes easier to read when they are placed in moderation.

If it is written like that, you cannot read it at a glance, right?

is at least a little better.

The ideal ratio for readability is said to be,

[Kanji]:[Hiragana, Katakana] = [3]:[7]

.

⭕️ If the balance is off, it becomes difficult to read all at once.

There is a maxim about writing that goes like this:

However, just because the content is simple does not mean it is easy to read.

How do we actually read text?

We distinguish between them, unconsciously.

Writing that is very difficult to read,

becomes easier to read when it is like this.

That is because the boundaries become clear.

Hiragana, katakana, and kanji are,

a way to distinguish text without using punctuation.

When the same type continues, it becomes hard to tell where the breaks are,

making it difficult to read.

⭕️ A method of intentionally rewriting

To create easy-to-read text,

it is also effective to intentionally rewrite things.

For example,

I often use these.

If you stumble when reading back through your work, it might be because there are too many kanji.

Adjust the character balance and try again.

Even though the content hasn't changed,

it can suddenly become easier to read.

Thank you for reading this far!

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