Better Writing: Write Less

by Chesley @ Daily Freelance Writing Tips

I know. When I offer advice on how to write better, it usually includes writing more and not less. What I mean to say is write concisely. If you can write a good article, you should know how to write a powerful paragraph. When you limit your word count, it forces you to choose your words even more carefully. The art of being concise is to say as much as you can with as few words as possible.

Editing is a major factor in concise writing. You may have to go back three or four times before you are able to come up with just the right way to say a particular thing. It can be difficult to chop down your words to the bare bones, but it will make you a better writer.

Twitter is a great website for practicing concise writing.

Here are my tips for concise writing:

• make your point immediately
• don’t repeat the point
• avoid modifiers like really, very, totally
• use the dictionary and thesaurus to improve vocabulary
• replace long phrases with inclusive words
• avoid empty, general openings and closings
• cut, cut, cut

Do you have any concise writing tips? I’d love to see them. Share in comments.