Ken,
You make several good points. The use of simpler words being one. I had a tech writing class and the prof was very good. One of his requirements was that we use no jargon. The second point was simplicity. His mantra was AUDIENCE, AUDIENCE, AUDIENCE! He would never bring in an example of bad writing for us to analyze. He believed that it created thought patterns that would have to be unlearned. He provided us examples of good writing to use as mental templates.
One of the things that drove him absolutely crazy was being asked how many pages an assignment should occupy. His reply, "As long as it needs to be to complete the task, and not one word more. Write to express, not impress." One time, I got a paper back to redo. It had the annotation, "I'm sure you understand you perfectly. Remember, I'm the audience. Rewrite it so I can understand it." Some students got back papers with, "What the hell were you trying to say?" He knew that the rewrite would start as an answer to the question that could be reworked into a piece he would accept.
It's amazing how sloppy your writing can get when the master isn't standing over you. I had to go back, delete, simplify, and shorten the sentences. It still isn't right, but I've got other things to do.
