Hi !

Welcome to this week's edition of the One for the Week newsletter.

World-renowned artist Pablo Picasso died 50 years ago this weekend (April 8, 1973), and one of his most famous quotes on the essence of art applies also to effective writing:

"Art is the elimination of the unnecessary.”

Crisp, focused writing, free of unneeded words, has more staying  power with readers, capturing and keeping their attention.

But tightening your writing can be a steep challenge.

In this week's OFW, I'll share some of my favorite proven, easy-to-apply techniques for eliminating unnecessary words and sharpening phrasing so your writing can become more artful, persuasive, and memorable.

Thanks for being here...and now, your One for the Week.

"If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter."

- 16th century French mathematician Blaise Pascal

Distilling our thoughts and translating them into efficient - yet impactful - writing has been a challenge for centuries.

And it's not getting easier.

We may know so much about a subject - what should we include?

And if we eliminate certain details, will we confuse readers or cause misunderstandings?

What the right balance between brevity and clarity?

We'll explore these questions below.

But first, a few words from our sponsor.

 

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(1) Mindset

The first question to ask yourself as you're organizing your thoughts to write  - and the overarching theme always to keep in mind as you're writing:

"Does each piece of information I want to include serve my readers? Do they need to know this? Is sharing this detail vital to reader understanding and/or the main point I'm making?

We sometimes include bits of information we're attached to - a pet topic or idea, for example.

If a piece of information doesn't serve your readers, drop it.

(2) Strike most "process steps"  

Process steps (i.e., how you did something to produce a result) exemplifies one information type referenced above.

Readers are mostly interested in how ideas in your writing affect them. It may be tempting to include the how - all the steps you had to go through - readers want results and relevance to them and their priorities.  

Focus on your readers' priorities - including what you need from them.

(3) Offer the opportunity to follow-up 

Explicitly give your readers permission to ask questions and seek clarification if anything is confusing.

Depending on context, it can be helpful to add language at the end of your writing along the lines of "I want to ensure I've communicated everything clearly. Please reach out with any questions."

Offer a clarity check-in so readers with questions will be more likely to ask follow-ups.

(4) Eliminate filler words

Not all words have the same value. 

To shorten your writing without sacrificing clarity, look to drop:

"that"

"the" 

nominalizations ("there's a tendency for writers to..." to vs. "writers tend to...")

"in order to" (vs. just "to")

Cull through your writing, looking for words taking up space without adding understanding.

(5) Use strong verbs

Instead of using forms of the verb "to be" (is, was, were, will be, etc.) and clogging sentences with descriptors (usually adjectives), choose active verbs that convey meaning without needing many/any adjectives. 

Some examples:

"fuel"

"empower"

"drag"

"short-circuit"

"unlock"

Spark listener interest with vivid verbs they can "see".

What do you think about the ideas in this week's edition?

What are techniques you use to write clearly while still being brief? Results you've noticed?

Let me know your thoughts, and I'll share your comments in a future One for the Week.

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