I have attended and participated in my share of book fairs. It’s interesting meeting and talking with fellow authors. It’s also amazing to realize that you learn more about the author and his/her writing by talking with them than actually reading their books? Why? Because the written word reflects the spoken word.

There is one particular author, who shall remain nameless, who was particularly boastful. He/she (I’m using the double pronouns to prevent anyone from assuming they know whom I’m referring to) would greet visitors at the door and lead them directly to his/her table and talk incessantly about his/her books. Not one word was spoken about the other authors at the event. It was as if his/her books were the only reason anyone would attend such an event. Later, when reading his/her books, I came to the conclusion that his/her writing was very pretentious. As was he/she. Not a good thing. He/she would spend a considerable length of time talking to potential purchasers until they relented and purchased at least one of his/her books then made a hasty retreat from the event without pausing to talk to any of the other authors (probably out of fear of being talked down to yet again).

It begs the question that we all must address: Is your writing pretentious? Does it sound fake? Do you talk and write as if you are the only one who knows anything about your characters, settings, events? Have you ever wondered if others think your writing sounds pretentious? Has someone told you your writing sounds pretentious? How did that make you feel? Was that person right? Are you writing with a forced sense of importance? Trying to impress your readers rather than just writing from the depths of your soul? Is that good for your writing?

The answer to the last question, I think, is unequivocally, “No!” Forced writing, writing to impress, is never a good thing. Talking down to readers only makes you, as the author, appear pompous. Readers can see right through the mocked haze of unrealistic pretension. So, what can you do?

If you’re pretentious enough to believe you're unequivocally right in all you do, say or write, then read no further. You have the right to maintain your personal writing style, even if it is and remains pretentious. At some point, someone will attempt to set you straight.

However, if you’re more interested in genuine writing that appeals to the masses of readers out there rather than wanting to grandstand your endless wealth of knowledge, there are some things you can do to remove the pretentious nature of your writing.

The first thing you have to do is admit that you have a problem. You have to admit that your writing is pretentious and that it needs to be, quite simply, fixed. However, before you can even do that, you have to understand and appreciate what pretentiousness in writing means.

Pretentious means you’re trying to impress by making yourself sound like a know-it-all. In writing, pretentiousness is evident when you force your words to make your voice sound smart. Using big words and flamboyant gestures can come across as being pretentious, even if it reflects the way you normally communicate. Perhaps you don’t know everything about everything, but readers don’t appreciate being lectured or talked down to.

Did you know that quite often pretentious writing is really a reflection of the writer’s lack of self-confidence? It’s when writers don’t feel confident that their ideas are strong enough. As a result, these writers feel the need to spice up their writing with big words and complex concepts that are more space fillers than plot developers. These writers want to sound smart, when, in fact, quite the opposite happens. Readers don’t appreciate pomposity in writing. So, don’t write like a know-it-all with an I’m-better-than-you attitude.

How to cure the problem? Well, one of the simplest ways to take the pretentiousness out of your writing is to simplify the language. You don’t have to use big words that require the reader to stop and grab a dictionary for comprehension. Find a simile to your big words and simplify the language. You don’t need to sound intellectual to make a valid point.

As always, have a beta audience read your work. Tell them to be brutal in their assessment. Ask them if they think your writing sounds pretentious. You can even go so far as to suggest they cross out words or expressions that make your writing sound pretentious.

Remember, there’s nothing wrong with simple language. Big words are a stumbling block for readers and too much technical jargon definitely won’t impress them.