The Other Side of the Coin

You might recall April 19th's topic, Is Your Writing Tight? where we discussed ways to trim our prose for clean, crisp writing. We had a vibrant conversation going with comments sharing advice such as use concise verbs and simple verb tenses, watch for passive writing, cut the unnecessary, and carefully kill adverbs and adjectives. Great stuff, all.

Comments also addressed another view. One author said we can cut till words become too dry. Good point. We don't want our writing to lack life, becoming parched and blowing away like ashes in the wind, now do we?

This author went on to say that every word needs to be present for a reason. I believe she's right, and concur with other comments that pointed out how sometimes extra content is necessary, particularly in fiction's dialogue and description.

Pondering further, I considered additional occasions, such as a friendly column, conversational article, or blog post. One's style and personality is often reflected best with an assortment of well chosen words, ones that might otherwise be weeded out for different projects. Interestingly, while still in my musing mode, I ran across this post, To Make a Long Story Short, which highlights Jennifer Brown Banks' take on the subject. Do great minds think alike or what? :D

My take on tight writing is influenced by several factors. As a writing instructor, for example, I'm ever on the lookout for redundancies like free gift or past history, and places where words might carefully be tweaked for better results. As a fiction writer, I aim for an interesting tapestry that brings a story to life. Smart writers, I believe, live, write, and learn, and find the right fit for each scenario.

So it's a balance, is it not? What factors influence your writing habits? How do you keep both sides of the coin polished?

Have a great weekend,
Karen

Photo credit: Stock Exchange

Is Your Writing Tight?

      

The most valuable of all talents 

is that of never using 

two words when one will do. 

Thomas Jefferson

This is one of my favorite writing quotes. I think of it as the bumper sticker for word economy. 

If, as Jefferson suggests, we examine our writing, looking for places where one word will replace two, can we sharpen our prose?

I think so, and I've long believed that crisp writing makes a great statement. Tight writing is also a must to meet word counts. Weeding out unnecessary words and phrases helps communicate without clutter and fluff.

Here are a few ways I eliminate the dreaded "clutter and fluff":


1) Ditch excess modifiers and hedging words. Words like very, really, quite, fairly, kind of, and truly don't add as much "oomph" as we think. When removed, the result is cleaner, and nothing is compromised. 

2) Remove empty phrases. Trim out phrases like there seems to be, in order to, needless to say, on account of, and what I mean is for a clear, crisp statement. 

3) Don't be redundant. When phrases like free gift, past history, honest truth, and end result are pared down to gift, history, truth, and result we've heeded Mr. Jefferson's advice, haven't we?

Does Jefferson's quote strike any chords with you? What methods do you employ to tighten your writing? 

Happy weekend,

 Karen

Photo credit: Stock Exchange

Practicing Tight Writing

 

Keep it Sharp!

Concise writing sounds good in theory. But how do we keep things tight and still communicate well? Word counts mean sharp, effective writing. Here's what Strunk and White have to say in The Elements of Style:

 “Omit needless words. Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.” 

Love that! Are there unnecessary parts in your writing? I've tossed many words over the years, and continue to refine each time I write.

Someone else weighed in on the topic:

“The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.”  Thomas Jefferson

Editors would love Mr. Jefferson. Excellent point, and wise words to remember, don't you think?                                              

How do we tighten our writing? Develop a keen eye for unnecessary words and phrases. And practice, practice, practice!

Here Goes...

A telegram is an excellent way to practice concise writing.

Write a telegram, limited to 15 words or less.  Small and unnecessary words are left out. The word STOP is used as the punctuation between sentences. Don't count STOP in the 15 words. 

Here is an example:

Grandma joined circus STOP  Mom upset STOP Dad angry STOP Circus your town Saturday STOP Bring Grandma home STOP Karen

So, are you up to the challenge? Share your telegram with us! What techniques do you use to keep your writing tight?


Happy weekend,
Karen

Text copyright Karen Lange 2010. No text may be used without prior permission.
Image credit - Ambrozio  http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1210411