The Art of Concise Writing: Why Less is More

In this episode of Before Breakfast, host Laura shares a fundamental professional insight: when it comes to writing, "making something shorter almost always makes it better." Whether you are crafting industry reports, emails, or articles, adopting a mindset of brevity can transform your work into something more compelling and clear. Drawing from her experience at USA Today and Reader's Digest—publications defined by their limited space—Laura outlines a tactical approach to refining your prose.

The Philosophy of the "Haircut"

Laura suggests that every writer should give their work a "haircut." While she cautions that one cannot simply turn a 1,000-word article into a 500-word piece without a fundamental change in scope, aiming to reduce a text by 10-15% is a highly effective exercise. By tightening your word count, you force yourself to evaluate the necessity and impact of every single sentence.

Key Strategies for Effective Editing

To achieve this clarity, Laura proposes several actionable techniques:

1. Hunting for Extraneous Phrases

We all possess "throat-clearing sets of words"—filler phrases we insert into our writing without conscious thought. These are the first targets when you aim to cut 10-15% of your word count. Removing these unnecessary verbal crutches allows the core message to surface immediately.

2. Utilizing Comprehensive Vocabulary

Precision is the enemy of bloat. Laura suggests swapping wordy descriptions for more powerful, exact words. For example, instead of saying you "walked slowly," you might use the verb "ambled." Similarly, "ran really quickly" can be condensed into "sprinted." Using exact words makes the writing more "pleasurable" to read and inherently more efficient.

3. Eliminating the Passive Voice

Passive voice often complicates sentences, forcing the reader to "back up and explain that it is being done by someone." By ensuring the subject performs the verb, your writing becomes more "succinct." Direct, active sentences require fewer words to convey the same amount of information.

4. Evaluating Sentence Necessity

Laura encourages writers to ask if every word in every sentence is truly necessary. Often, writers include sentences that are "just standing there acting like it's helping." If one sentence does the "hard work" of explaining an idea, the redundant sentence should be removed. By "weighing each word," you ensure that every part of your writing contributes to the overall clarity.

The Benefits of Being Your Own Editor

While the digital age makes space constraints less rigid than they were in the era of print, the skill of editing remains vital. Learning to cut 10 to 15 words from your drafts is not just about length; it is a training ground for better grammar and style. When you master the ability to say the same thing in fewer words, "everyone is winning"—the reader saves time, and your message becomes significantly more impactful. Ultimately, by becoming your own best editor, you improve the quality of your communication and make the most of your professional time.