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Whack Wordiness: How to Stop Rambling

June 1, 2020 by Barbara McNichol 2 Comments

Why whack wordiness? It doesn’t help get your message across.

 

More words don’t always translate into more meaning.

You’ve heard me say this before…

It’s important to avoid excessive wordiness in your writing, especially when you’re in a business setting. Your colleague’s, reader’s, or customer’s time is precious. They need to know what you need, what you offer, or what you’re suggesting quickly and concisely.

If you find yourself rambling, it might be due to a lack of focus in your message, and that needs to be addressed. If you are unclear about “why” you’re writing, the “what” and “how” you’re writing will give it away.

We’ve all been hardwired to write essays that meet a certain word count – e.g., 1000 words on the merits of a new book, 600 words about the meaning of Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms – but it isn’t necessary for everyday business or nonfiction writing. So, how do you chisel the point of your message?

Chisel the point!

Do you want to have precision and clarity in your writing? Then take time to do this simple exercise:

Sum up the point of your communication in one sentence.

After you’ve done that, you can take a step back and decide what supporting information you absolutely need to share to get your point across.

This might mean referring to research or someone else’s communications.

Then after you’ve finished making your case, run through this checklist:

  • Did I put any unnecessary facts in the message?
  • Did I add any phrases that weren’t relevant to the point?
  • Did I consider what my reader was expecting from my message?
  • Did I give any thought to making my sentences flow?
  • Did I get straight to the point or take too many detours?

That last point – avoiding the detours – is an important one. You need to resist the urge to use “filler words” that come across as fluff. This includes dodging phrases like:

  • It goes without saying…
  • The fact of the matter is…
  • In other words…
  • Further to my point…
  • To be honest with you…

Get with the formula…

If you’re writing fiction, you would definitely steer clear of following a formula. But when it comes to writing clear, concise business communication, you’ll be doing yourself – and your reader – a favor if you follow these simple guidelines to whack wordiness.

Use no more than:

  • 5 paragraphs per page.
  • 5 sentences per paragraph.
  • 15 words per sentence.
  • 3 syllables per word.

It might seem like an onerous task to edit your own writing, but the minutes it will take to shave your message, reduce wordiness, and share only the salient points will win you points with your readers.

This might feel clunky and time-consuming at first, but hang in there. Like any new routine – diet, exercise, sleep – you’ll get into a rhythm, and it will become second nature to you.

Take a practice run.

Not sure you can follow these guidelines? Take a practice run at reducing the wordiness in your emails and letters. Pull up something you sent last week…something that was important but hasn’t been addressed by your reader yet. Then run it through this filter:

  1. Count the number of paragraphs. Fewer than 5?
  2. Count the number of sentences in a paragraph. Fewer than 5?
  3. Count the number of words in a paragraph. Fewer than 15?
  4. Now circle the words that contain 4 syllables or more, such as dis·pro·por·tion·ate·ly.

How did you do? Be honest! Did you identify areas where you could have taken a shortcut and saved your reader time?

If you follow these four steps, you’ll gain clues about where your rambling takes you. Detours dilute your message and can affect how you’re perceived by your audience.

If you’d like to learn more about the ways you can trim the fat from your writing, contact me, or sign up for my Word Trippers Tips program and get tips delivered right to your inbox every week for a year.

Did you find this article helpful? Here are three more to help you communicate with credibility, clarity, and efficiency:

Why Make a BIG DEAL Out of Correct Spelling and Grammar?
Do You Use These Common Phrases Correctly?
Word Meanings Essential to Know in These Unprecedented Times

This article was originally published in 2010, but has been updated in June 2020. Feel free to comment below.

Filed Under: Writing Tips Tagged With: concise writing, Don't Let Particle Dangle in Public, wordiness

Whack Extraneous Phrases in Your Writing

March 2, 2020 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

Remove unnecessary words and improve your writing skills.

In The Elements of Style, iconic authors William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White called word clutter “the leeches that infest the pond of prose, sucking the blood out of words.”

Yes, the same E.B. White who gave us beloved children’s stories like Stuart Little, The Trumpet of the Swan and Charlotte’s Web also gave us that visceral description…

Whack wordiness

What is word clutter? Word clutter refers to unnecessary words in a sentence. Why – and how – do you eliminate them? If Strunk and White’s metaphor doesn’t make a believer out of you, then read on, because voiding word clutter in your writing will help you become a better, more effective communicator.

To clutter or not to clutter – that is the question.

When writing poetry, descriptive words are acceptable – even expected – because you’re trying to paint a picture with words. The art is in the rhyme, the imagery, the emotions you want to invoke in your audience.

But in business communication, it’s imperative that you trim the excess fat. Your readers are busy like you – they don’t need to wade through extra words to get the meaning of your message. 

No one in business wants to think of themselves as a “cog in the wheel,” but Strunk Jr. summed up the importance of brevity beautifully:

A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.

Your business is like a piece of machinery, and efficiency matters. So, do your reader a favor: tune up your writing and whack out the extra phrases.

Unclutter.

“Word clutter” refers to unnecessary words that don’t add meaning to a sentence. When you’re writing a non-fiction book or an email, whack them out. This often means choosing an active, rather than the passive verb.

Take time to fine-tune your message by whacking these phrases: 

  • “is intended to” or “is meant to” or “is designed to”

Example: “He gives a workshop that is designed to teach writing skills.”

Fine-tune it: “He gives a workshop that teaches writing skills.”

  • “it is all about” or “the fact of the matter is” or “it’s important to remember that”

Example: “It’s important to remember that it’s unwise to drive during a blizzard.”

Fine-tune it:  “It’s unwise to drive during a blizzard.”

  • “is going to”

Example: “She is going to be a key contributor.”

Fine-tune it: “She will be a key contributor.”

  • “In order to…”

Example: “Add keywords in order to describe the new position.”

Fine-tune it: “Add keywords to describe the new position.”

  • “there is” or “there will be”

Example: “There will be several managers attending the meeting.”

Fine-tune it: “Several managers will attend the meeting.”

  • “The reason why is that”

Example: “The meeting has been moved to the 2nd-floor conference room. The reason why is that we need more seating capacity.”

Fine-tune it: “The meeting was moved to the 2nd-floor conference room because we need more seating capacity.”

  • “at this time”

Example: “We’re not accepting any more registrations for the conference at this time.”

Fine-tune it: We’re not accepting registrations for the conference now.”

Never forget: more words don’t necessarily give more meaning, especially in business communication. Your time is valuable. Show respect to your colleagues by trimming your emails, memos and reports – whack wordiness! You’ll be doing your colleagues a favor.

Now, do yourself a favor: get a red pen and take time to read over a recent email or letter you wrote. Ask, “Did I really need that word/phrase?” Circle all the unnecessary words. Then think about the time you could have saved yourself and your reader if you’d left them out! A little investment in time at the beginning of your writing project will save you and your readers time in the long run.

Do you have any “pet peeves” when it comes to word clutter? I’d love to know about them. If you’d like more helpful tips, you can sign up for Word Trippers Tips  or book a WordShop for your whole team to strengthen your business writing skills.

Did you find this article helpful? Then you might enjoy these:

Is Your Writing Pompous?

Poor Writing Means Your Credibility Is at Stake!

Mixing Singular with Plural: Keep the Old Rules with Some New Tricks

This article was originally published on March 26th, 2015, and has since been updated.

Filed Under: Writing Tips Tagged With: #business book editing, concise writing, extraneous phrases, improve writing, nonfiction book editor, Whack Wordiness

Fine-Tune Your Writing Through an Editor’s Lens

October 18, 2018 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

by Barbara McNichol

fine-tunr your writingWhenever you write something—a report, article, proposal, manuscript, or sensitive email—you naturally don a writer’s hat. But don’t stop there. You’re not finished! It’s time to scrutinize and then fine-tune what you’ve crafted.

Start with this question: Does every word contribute to conveying your intended message?

To answer that question, you need to reread your piece (at least three times) as if you’ve never seen it before. It’s akin to “thinking like an editor” by examining every phrase/sentence and asking:

Is it NECESSARY?

Is it CLEAR?

Is it CONCISE?

If you can’t confidently answer YES to these questions, pay attention to the following fixes and use them wherever it’s appropriate.

NECESSARY: Be picky and picky again. Delete whichever elements don’t support the piece’s meaning.

CLEAR: Ensure subjects and verbs agree; no mixing singular and plural. For example,

  • Incorrect: A group of writers were in town. (“Group” is singular while “were” is plural.)
  • Correct: A group of writers was in town. (“Group” is the subject here, not “writers.”)

CONCISE: Whack wordiness by getting rid of extraneous phrases and words that add no value—e.g., really, some, great, very, that. Change these wobbly words to something specific and/or descriptive that gives readers more information. For example,

  • Let’s add some examples to the report.
  • Let’s add 12 examples to the report.

By looking through your editor’s lens, you can fine-tune your writing to ensure every word counts toward getting your message across.

Want more ways to fine-tune your work? Check out 18 Days to Become a Better Writer. (Use 18DAYS code for a $4.95 discount at checkout.)

Filed Under: Business Writing Tagged With: business book editor, clear writing, compelling writing, concise writing, correct writing, editor's lens, nonfiction book editor, writer's hat

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