Today's topic is readability, and just to mix things up, I'm bringing in Adam Friedman

to host today's show.

Adam is the author of Party of the First Part, a witty, entertaining book about legalese

that goes on sale September 4th.

I figure if Adam can make legal documents readable, then he must be on to something.

Adam?

Thanks, Grandma Girl.

I love being a writer, a novelist once said.

What I can't stand is the paperwork.

It's an amusing quip, but there's also a real truth to it.

The decidedly unglamorous task of formatting documents is an essential part of good writing.

This is especially true of legal documents, which, if not watched very carefully, can

spiral out of control until you find yourself expunging in a forementioned lease pendants

that you didn't even know you had.

The best writers, including legal writers, follow these rules for producing readable documents.

First, use a table of contents for documents longer than about ten pages.

Whether it's a book or a legal brief, reading a thick document is kind of like taking a

trip.

You want to have a map.

A table of contents helps prepare the reader for the journey ahead.

Next, use an eye-friendly font and ample white space between blocks of text.

Don't overwhelm the reader with pages of dense, single-space text in a swirly, fussy,

...