A Conversation

“I have often wondered why so many endorse plain speech in writing,” said the first writer.“Should writers not aspire to greater things than mere colloquialism? Should they not seek prose that overflows with both eloquence and sophistication?”

The second writer laughed.“Are you an idiot? What’s the point of writing something if nobody can understand what you’re saying?”

Yet the first writer was not amused, saying with a stern expression,“Why should a writer mollycoddle the reader? If the read...