The more words you use, the less likely it is that your audience will read and comprehend what you are saying. Simply stated, shorter is better. Here are a few tips that will help you get to the point more quickly.

Make Your Writing More Conversational.

Many of the words we use that clutter our writing would never come out of our mouths in everyday conversation. One easy way to get to the point more quickly is to write conversationally, or the way you speak (minus slang and incomplete sentences, of course).

Make Every Sentence Add Something New.

As you progress through your writing, every sentence should add something new. In fact, every phrase and clause should add something new. Often if you go sentence by sentence looking for the new details, you see ways that you can combine sections of your writing.

Drop the Clichés.

Clichés are common expressions that have been overused. Try to eliminate them from your writing unless you can't find any other word or phrase that says what you mean.

Trim the Redundancies.

Many words have adjectives and adverbs built into their meaning. Attaching modifiers to these words creates redundancies. Take the word planning for example. We can't plan for the past, or even for the present, so it's obvious that planning refers to preparing for the future. Yet you'll often run across redundant phrases like advance planning or future plans.

Want More?

Order "Get to the Point! How to Prune Wordy Writing into Clear, Concise Prose" for just $9.00. If you catch yourself rambling or you have a hard time writing brief emails and memos, this Tip Sheet is for you. If you are responsible for editing wordy writing by others, our ten tips will show you how to cut back the wordiness more quickly.

This Tip Sheet Explains how to make your writing more conversational Helps you find weak, smothered verbs and shows you how to make them strong again Lists several phrases that you should cut every time Identifies when the passive voice works and when you need to cut it from your writing and much more! Please Note: All tip sheets are delivered electronically as PDF files as soon as your payment is processed. We do not ship hard copies. We offer a 100% money-back guarantee on our tip sheets and e-courses. Please see our Ordering FAQs for details.