Writing definitely helps. Clarity is a linguistic issue more than anything - there are simply not enough words and phrases in our active possession nor deep enough knowledge of the words meanings (we think know them, though) to express ourselves concisely. A solid knowledge of vocabulary is what distinguishes good writers from everybody else. I mean really good writers - classics, masters of the word, vocabulary nerds as I call them. =)
Add:
A tool to measure your vocabulary size. With some limitations, but decent. A bookworm friend of mine his late 40s scored over 40000. That guy is a living breathing dictionary!
To an extent that is true , but a big vocabulary can also become a crutch to make poor ideas sound good . Advice you often hear about persuasive writing is to stick to simple words (mind you, t-hat is for non-fiction) Scott Adams has some great writing advice too :
Wow, that was useful. Reminded me of the good stuff I learned in my writing classes and forgot when I started doing research and writing for publications in academic journals (which shows in my writing). I will have to practice a bit more now.
What I meant, however, was that choosing the right and concise words actually helps with writing simple. You don't need to use "heavy" words, of course. It is more of a difference between "clear and short" and "concise". I find it to be very important.
Hehe my wife has the same issue . Academic writing seems to sit on the oposite end of the scale.
And I agree with classic fiction writers (need to read more of them). For non fiction I think a lot of people are copying style over function though...
Thanks for the test ! Very cool !