Writing clearly is harder than it looks. It requires not just command of language, but clarity of thought—and the discipline to cut everything that doesn't serve the reader.
Over the years, I've developed a simple framework: write fast, edit slow. The first draft is for getting ideas down; the second draft is for making them clear; the third draft is for making them sing.
The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do. — Thomas Jefferson
Start with Structure
Before you write a single sentence, know your structure. What's the one thing you want readers to take away? What evidence supports it? What order makes the argument most compelling?
I find it helpful to outline not in terms of topics, but in terms of transformations. Where is the reader at the beginning? Where should they be at the end? What bridges do you need to build?
Kill Your Darlings
The hardest part of editing is cutting the sentences you're proudest of. If a beautiful phrase doesn't serve the piece, it has to go. Save it for another essay—or let it go entirely.
This is why I write and edit on separate days. Distance creates objectivity.