299 Words on Simple Language and Complex Stories:

Something I think about when writing for impact

Jan 31, 2025

black Fayorit typewriter with printer paper

In my opinion, writers make the biggest impact when they tell complex stories with simple language. These are the stories I love to read—and the ones I want to write.

As a kid, I devoured stories in all forms, but I always struggled with advanced language. Five-syllable words and unfamiliar phrases would pull me out of the moment, which is why I always gravitated toward writers who could express deep, complex feelings in simple ways—Haruki Murakami, Charles Bukowski, and Etgar Keret, to name a few.

When I started work as a copywriter, my instinct turned into a profession. For over a decade, my livelihood has depended on finding simple words to express complex ideas to people who, quite frankly, want nothing to do with my work. No one asks for an ad to interrupt them, but everyone welcomes a story that educates, entertains, or moves them. That’s the challenge that led to the philosophy behind everything I write, whether commercial or artistic: I won’t publish it until it’s easy to digest and hard to ignore.

And then came June 2024.

Six months ago, I started Write to Move People as a space to share my fiction and explore the art and science of writing with impact. Today, it’s growing faster than I ever expected, and it’s inspiring the beginnings of a small (but mighty!) community of writers and readers who share my love for moving stories.

That means this publication is no longer just about me.

It’s about us.

And lately, I’ve been working on ideas to bring this vision to life—ways for us to come together and work toward mastering the art and science of simple-yet-powerful storytelling—and move our readers with intention, meaning, and impact.

I can’t wait to share them with you.

Keep an eye out.