USE FEWER WORDS AND SAY MORE

1   Truthbomb: the longer your text is the less likely it will be read.

2   Concise writing is more than just writing. It is art. It is expressing your thoughts clearly… President Lincoln's powerful Gettysburg Address was only 272 words. Steve Jobs was the quintessential communicator and entrepreneur. He firmly believed that for a product or idea to be widely adopted, it needed to have a simple design. The iPhone and iPad have only one button. His presentations usually had three bullet points or three images per slide, and that was all: brevity and simplicity work.

3    The word “redundancy” means (among other things) a word or phrase that repeats something else and is not needed, e.g. “honest truth”, “plan ahead” and “join together”. People often use redundancy for emphasis, like “Personally, I would rather go to the parade.” The word “personally” is unneeded, but here forms a stronger statement.

4   Other times, redundancy makes very direct language sound kinder, e.g. “Your cat died”, vs “Your cat passed away”.

5   Yet, in general, redundancy is not a good idea. It can weaken statements and make readers lose interest in the subject.

6   Remember, if you want people to enjoy your writing, “Less is more” …

FIVE COMMON REDUNDANCIES TO LOOK OUT FOR

1.   Introducing examples (PAR 7)

In formal writing, phrases like “for example” “for instance” and “such as” are used to present examples. So, adding the phrases “and so on” “and more” or the Latin term “et cetera” to a list of examples is redundant. Here is an example of what to avoid: Carlin often joked about redundant phrases  such as “honest truth” “plan ahead” and “join together”  and more. Rewrite it by removing the phrases “such as” or “and more.” You do not need both.

2.   Adding information (PAR 8)

When starting a sentence with phrases such as “in addition to”, “like” or “also,” avoid using one of these same phrases in the statement. Here is an example of what not to write:  In addition to condemning the violence, they  also protested the new policies. You should remove the word “also” in the second part of the sentence since “in addition to” already expresses the idea of “also.”

 3. Redundant pairs (PAR 9)

 Two words that together suggest each other, such as “future plans.” We know, for instance, that “plans” are about the future. “End result” and “final outcome” are other examples. It can also involve putting a useless preposition after a verb. Think of the phrase “protest against.” The verb “protest” already expresses the idea of being “against” something.

4.   Overusing/misusing adverbs (PAR 10)

The adverbs “very,” “really,” “extremely” and “incredibly” are examples of intensifiers. They make adjectives stronger. Intensifiers are often not a wise choice for formal writing, however.

“Very unique” is an example of a misused intensifier. The word “very” is redundant because “unique” means “very special or unusual.” Other example phrases are “shouted loudly” and “completely destroyed.” We know that destruction suggests total ruin and shouting refers to being very loud.

5.   Time-related phrases (PAR 11)

For example, the phrase “period of time” and “time period” are redundant since “period” refers to a measure of time. A few others are “at the present time” (which can be replaced with “at present”); “delay until later” (which can be replaced with “delay”); and “since the time when” (which can be replaced with “since”).

6.   Writing sample (PAR 12)

Here is an example of a sentence that uses more words than necessary to express an idea. It comes from the Purdue University Online Writing Lab: Before the travel agent was completely able to finish explaining the various differences among all of the many very unique vacation packages his travel agency was offering, the customer changed her future plans.

 And here is how Purdue suggests rewriting it: Before the travel agent finished explaining the differences among the unique vacation packages his travel agency was offering, the customer changed her plans.

The rewritten sentence is shorter and clearer.

 WAYS TO USE FEWER WORDS FOR STRONGER COMMUNICATION (PAR 13)

 a)   Clearly define the content with a title or subject line.

 b)   Stick to your point like the bark to a tree. As a writer, focus is your weapon. Use it.

 c)   Replace weak words with strong ones. Instead of saying, “The day was filled with exciting activities,” say “The day was eventful”.

 d)   Pretend that each word you type costs you R100 and that you have a strict budget. You have to choose your words wisely. Instead of writing “very tired,” “exhausted.” Instead of “looked closely,” you might write “examined.” The more words you waste, the more time your reader loses.

 e)   After each sentence or paragraph, ask yourself “So what?” If you cannot answer why that sentence/paragraph was important, or what the sentence/paragraph contributed to the piece of writing, remove it – even when you really like the sentence or phrase.

 f)    Avoid passive voice like “Facebook is used by millions of people.” Say “Millions of people use Facebook.” It is more energetic, and it will keep the reader, well, reading.

 g)   AVOID FALLING IN LOVE WITH YOUR OWN WORDS. Convey a message. Not long, beautiful sentences you think make you look good.

 h)   Be original – Do not repeat yourself. Say something once and say it meaningfully.

 i)    Vary your sentence length.

 j)    Starting a formal writing task late is never a good idea. Schedule enough time for an initial draft, and at least two more edited drafts. The fourth normally the final. 

 A GOOD WRITER PRACTICES TILL HIS/HER FINGERS BLEED. (PAR 14)

Stop whining, start writing.

15    In his e-book, 30 Days to Better Business Writing, Matthew Stibbe has a brilliant exercise:

Find a piece of writing about 800 words long. Rewrite it in 400 words. Rewrite that in 200 words. And so on. When you get down to 25 words see what is left at the end of each edit. You will see how much remains of the argument — what’s lost and what’s not.