A word or a sentence too many is rarely an asset.
Virtually all writers, journalists, and the likes know this simple rule.
But it doesn’t mean that they always follow it: Superfluity and monster
constructs are still ubiquitous and, quite frankly, annoying.
To avoid them, we handpicked five tips that’ll help you write more with
less.
Keep your sentences short
Ultra-long sentences are a thing of the past. Unless you are authoring a
novel set in the 19th century, there is no need to write paragraph-long
sentences. Non-native speakers should especially heed this advice since
many languages are incredibly long sentences friendly. Try opting for
short and medium-sized constructs, keeping only those words that are
truly necessary.
While at it, make sure that you don’t overdo it. Sentences like this. And
this. Are not exactly nice. Are they?
Sure, they are very short, but they also show a low command of language.
Get rid of “which” and the likes
The word “which”, alongside its other brothers in arms “that”, connects
two clauses. Writers use them to add information about a certain object.
There is nothing wrong with that. Yet, in many cases, that information
becomes superfluous. Here is one of the examples: “This is the pen that I
bought yesterday.”
Wouldn’t it be nicer to say: “I bought this pen yesterday?”
Eradicate repetitive sentences
Many texts are jammed with sentences that convey the same information
over and over again. This is everything but advantageous. More so since
in a world where social media is king, the reader’s average attention span
is incredibly low. So, if you are about to upload a post that reads, “This
service is for everyone. All of us can use the service for whichever
purpose. Every user will benefit will from it” think twice. Nothing stops you
from turning it into “this service is versatile, beneficial for all.”
Active voice is superior
All sentences that have a clear, specific subject are by default better.
They are also shorter since you don’t have to add connecting words like
“by”, “was”, “were” that make your sentences sound hefty.
Practise in different apps
Twitter is great for polishing your conciseness since you need to keep
your tweets to the point. Just take your posts from Facebook, which are
usually longer, and turn them into a powerful short tweet. This way, you
will learn to kill your darlings (unnecessary words, for example) and write
more with less.
Likewise, practice in xTiles. Although the cards are customizable (expand
them if necessary), they incentivize you to write short and clear
sentences. And that’s a real timesaver.
Happy writing!
