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Fine-Tune Your Writing Through an Editor’s Lens

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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.)

What Pickleball and Business Writing Have in Common

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Playing pickleball

Playing pickleball

by Barbara McNichol

A group of over-50s in my neighborhood are learning to love playing pickleball on our brand new pickleball courts. Players with a mixed bag of talent show up—from non-athletic newbies to proven tournament champs.

One of those tourney players recently told me that, to comply with the rules, I needed to change my serve. Not only that, she shared strategy tips I’d not heard before. Playing with her as a partner gave me the chance to practice those tips—both when she reminded me and when she didn’t.

Feeling a little scrambled, I came away thinking, “How many new techniques can I apply at once?”

Back at my computer, I can better empathize with writers as they struggle to apply a number of new techniques that will improve their writing game. Practicing my pickleball serve again and again can be like rewriting paragraphs repeatedly until they work!

That’s Why We Attend Workshops

Applying writing tips in a WordShop session provides an optimal opportunity for new habits to “stick.” That’s why I invite you to participate in an upcoming Business Writing Skills WordShop in Tucson, Arizona, sponsored by Association of Talent Development (formerly ASTD).

It’s Tuesday morning April 21, 2015, at Viscount Suites in Tucson—breakfast included. Full details here.

Just as practicing my new serve is worth my while, I encourage you to invest time learning and applying new writing techniques. I guarantee you’ll gain a lot in this interactive session—and you’ll know what to practice going forward.

Did I say it will be fun? With breakfast, too! Sign up today!

How do you learn new techniques best, whether it’s on the pickleball court or at your writing desk?

Whack Extraneous Phrases in Your Writing

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Whack wordinessIn their classic book The Elements of Style, Strunk and White called word clutter “the leeches that infest the pond of prose, sucking the blood out of words.”

You can start by eliminating extraneous phrases that clutter your writing. But which phrases can be “whacked”?

Consider taking out these extra phrases whenever you can:

  • “is intended to, meant to, designed to” e.g., He gives a workshop that is designed to teach writing skills. Better: He gives a workshop that teaches writing skills.
  • “it is all about”; “the fact of the matter is”; “the fact that”; “it’s important to remember that” e.g., The fact of the matter is that it’s unwise to go out carousing. Better: It’s unwise to go out carousing.
  • “in regard to” e.g., Seek additional websites in regard to your industry. Better: Seek additional websites in your industry.
  • “is going to” e.g., He is going to be a key contributor. Better: He will be a key contributor.
  • “in order to” e.g., Add key words in order to describe the new position. Better: Add key words to describe the new position.
  • “there is” and “there will be” e.g., There will be many managers attending the meeting. Better: Many managers will attend the meeting.
  • “the reason why is that . . .” A simple “because” will suffice.
  • “at this time” . . . Now!

To reinforce this, take something you wrote and circle any of these extraneous phrases. Challenge yourself to rework or remove them altogether. You may choose to keep some in, but at least you’ve asked the question: “Do I really need this phrase?” (You don’t need “really” here.)

Keep this list handy. What would you add to it? Comment here.

Whack Wordiness: How to Stop Rambling

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By Barbara McNichol

Rambling in your writing often stems from muddy thinking—that is, not having a clear idea of what you want to say. When analyzing a piece of your writing that rambles on, ask, “Exactly what was I trying to say?” Challenge yourself to state its purpose in one simple sentence. Then once you have your intended point in mind, ask:

  • Did I put in unnecessary facts on the road to making my point?
  • Did I add any phrases that were irrelevant to this point?
  • Did I keep in mind what readers might be asking as I make my point?
  • Do my sentences lack rhythm that jars like riding a bumpy road?
  • Did I take a straight line to make my point or did I take unnecessary detours?

Consider using the following formula* to monitor your writing and keeping sentences from running away on you. Use no more than:

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

*Recommended in Don’t Let Your Participles Dangle in Public!

How to apply this formula

Step 1: Take one page of your writing, 300-400 words, and count the number of paragraphs. Fewer than 5?

Step 2: In an average paragraph, count the number of sentences you have. Fewer than 10?

Step 3: Choose one paragraph and count the number of words in each sentence. What’s the average? Fewer than 15?

Step 4: Now circle all the words on the page that have 4 syllables or more.

Following these four steps, you now have lots of clues where you can stop the rambling and smooth out the potholes on the road.

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