Good Articles Are Shorter
Unless it’s a story, express your idea in the fewest words possible.
I can’t count the number of articles I’ve started and never finished. I don’t have the patience to write long pieces. Likewise, I read long articles only when I must. It’s not because I have a short attention span. I simply dislike verbosity.
Copywriters know this. No reader wants to take forever to get to the point. Unless it’s a story, make it short and sweet. Eliminate the words you don’t need.
The pressure is often to look like you have things to say. Nonsense. A good piece is good no matter how short it is. In fact the shorter, the sweeter. Your readers are also trying to finish in the shortest time possible. So don’t be a bore.
The purpose of writing is to give an idea life. If your idea can live in a sentence, give it a sentence. If a paragraph makes it sweet, do a paragraph. If a page, do the page. If you go beyond, the idea starts becoming stale, and will eventually die.
How do you keep it short and sweet?
- Write the idea(s) you want to convey. A sentence for each.
- Expound on each idea in 1 to 3 paragraphs.
- After writing, read your piece asking about each word and phrase: Must this be here? Can this be shorter?
Remember — unless you’re telling a story, be very brief. And clear, of course.
