Whether you are writing a report for work or a blog post for your website, you want your message to be clear and concise. Wordiness can get in the way of that message. Explore 10 writing tips to fix wordiness and help you communicate your ideas more effectively.
What is wordiness?
Wordiness is using more words than necessary to convey a message. It can make writing sound bloated, boring, and difficult to understand. It can include redundant phrases, unnecessary adjectives, and filler words, as well as convoluted sentences that are hard to follow.
These writing weaknesses can cause readers to lose interest and miss the point of a piece of writing. Fortunately, there are several writing tips to fix wordiness and make your writing more engaging.
Why is wordiness a problem?
Wordiness can hurt your writing. It can cause readers to lose interest in your content and make your writing harder to understand. A writer’s message might also be lost among unnecessary and unneeded words. This can especially be a problem when trying to convey complex ideas or information.
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What are some tips to avoid wordiness?
If you’re looking to improve the clarity of your writing, there are several effective strategies that can improve your message. Below are 10 tips to help you trim the fat. These reliable tips will help you tighten your prose and create writing that is clear, compelling, and engaging.
Tip #1: Use active voice
Using an active voice can help avoid wordiness and make your writing more engaging. In the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action, which makes writing more direct.
For example, instead of saying, “The report was written by John,” you could say, “John wrote the report.” Active voice can cut out extra words and get directly to the point.
Tip #2: Avoid redundancy
Redundancy is the use of unnecessary words or phrases that repeat the same idea. It can make your writing sound repetitive and dull. Disengaging writing can detract from your message and turn readers away.
To avoid redundancy, read your writing out loud and look for any phrases that you can eliminate without changing the meaning of the sentence. Sometimes hearing your writing read out loud can reveal mistakes and create more natural-sounding language.
Tip #3: Cut unnecessary words
Cutting unnecessary words can help make writing more concise and engaging. Look for words or phrases that do not add to the meaning of the sentence and eliminate them. Cut right to the point of your message.
For example, instead of saying, “At this point in time,” you could say, “Now.” William Shakespeare said, “Brevity is the soul of wit.” Concise and simple writing can get your message across clearly.
Tip #4: Use strong verbs
Using strong verbs can help convey your message more effectively and avoid wordiness. Strong verbs are action words that convey a clear and vivid meaning.
For example, instead of “She walked slowly,” you could say, “She sauntered.” Using stronger and more descriptive verbs can help paint a more vivid image for your readers and help broadcast your message.
Tip #5: Vary your sentence structure
Varying your sentence structure can make writing more engaging. Try using short and long sentences, and vary the order of your sentence elements. The change of style can create more interesting and engaging text for your readers to engage.
Tip #6: Use contractions
Using contractions can help make your writing more conversational and natural. This familiar tone can help engage readers and help avoid wordiness.
Contractions are words that combine two words, such as “don’t” for “do not” or “can’t” for “cannot.” They can sound extremely formal and make your writing sound stiff and unnatural. If your project allows for contractions, look to use them and make your text more conversational.
Tip #7: Eliminate filler words
Filler words are words that do not add meaning to your sentence. Common examples include words such as “um,” “uh,” or “like.” Eliminating these unneeded words can help make your writing more organized and avoid wordiness.
Tip #8: Use shorter paragraphs
Using shorter paragraphs can help break up your writing and make it easier to read. Long paragraphs can make your writing look intimidating and cause readers to lose interest. It is important to keep your audience in mind when writing.
Tip #9: Edit ruthlessly
Intense editing can help eliminate any unnecessary words or phrases that may be weighing down your writing. It is important for writers to get their words on paper. But the editing process is equally as important.
After you have finished writing, go back and read your work out loud. Look for any phrases that may be unclear or repetitive. This is also the ideal time to look for wordiness that can be rephrased and tightened.
Tip #10: Get feedback
Receiving feedback from others can help you get an outside perspective on your writing. Sometimes writers can become too engaged in their words. An impartial editor can help solve this problem.
Ask someone you trust to read your writing and give you honest feedback. These editors can look for areas that may be unclear and work with your to cut down on wordiness. Writers should take advantage of the tools available to them.
Reliable Thoughts
Wordiness can get in the way of your message and make your writing harder to understand. By following these 10 writing tips, you can fix this common writing weakness and make your writing more engaging.
Writers use words extremely effectively. However, wordiness and repetitiveness are ineffective and can detract from the message they are trying to convey.
Wordiness is a common weak point that many writers face. Identifying these weaknesses and practicing concise writing can help a writer overcome and improve.
Use active voice, avoid redundancy, cut unnecessary words, use strong verbs, vary your sentence structure, use contractions, eliminate filler words, use shorter paragraphs, edit ruthlessly, and get feedback. Following these simple tips to avoid wordiness can help writers craft strong and impactful writing.
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