Heyy Reader,

Welcome to the sixth issue of A Way with Words, a bi-weekly newsletter where I share writing and editing tips to help you create clear, coherent, and compelling content. If this newsletter was forwarded to you, subscribe here to get the next edition in your inbox.

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How to say more in fewer words

I faced an unexpected challenge when I started posting more actively on LinkedIn: sticking to the 3000-character limit.

Before that, my challenge was the opposite. I sometimes struggled to meet the word count for long-form blog posts (as a content writer) and term papers (as an undergraduate).

I had to learn how to prune my posts without sacrificing clarity or meaning, a skill that has helped in my freelance editing career (I always have to trim clients’ application essays to meet the word limit).

Editing for conciseness is a skill you should learn too, even if you’re not restricted by word limits in your personal or professional writing projects. Trimming excess words makes your writing clearer and more engaging, which helps you effectively communicate your message to your audience.

Here are a few tips for making your writing concise at the paragraph and sentence levels.

Paragraph edits

1. Delete any information your audience already knows

For example, if you’re drafting an article titled “How to Write a Winning Cover Letter,” you don’t need to begin your introduction with “Most job applications require you to write a cover letter.”

2. Delete any information that doesn't advance your main point

While editing an article titled “How to Create a Multi-Channel Content Strategy”, I deleted this sentence from the introduction: “According to ConvertKit’s 2022 State of the Creator Economy Report, full-time creators use an average of 3.4 channels for audience engagement and growth.”

Statistics are great, but this one didn’t offer any helpful insight into why or how creators should create content for multiple platforms. A statistic on how many platforms their target audience uses actively would have been more impactful.

Pro Tip: Always define the purpose or theme of your piece before writing, so that you can easily identify irrelevant details when editing.

3. Delete redundant sentences

Look out for sentences that repeat an idea you’ve expressed in a previous sentence. Here’s a fitting example from Erica Schneider’s Editing Library:

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By the way, if you'd like to learn how to build your personal brand with value-driven content, you should subscribe to Erica and Kasey's newsletter.​
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Sentence edits

1. Combine related sentences

Instead of having many short sentences, join related sentences together with conjunctions or appositives. (But do this sparingly so you don't have overly long sentences.)

Here’s an example from the first and final draft of this newsletter.

2. Remove unnecessary adverbs

Instead of using words like "very", "really", "quite", "pretty", and "extremely" to modify an adjective, use a stronger adjective or remove them.

Example:

A brag sheet is a really great tool for documenting your professional accomplishments → A brag sheet is an excellent tool for documenting your professional accomplishments.

You should also delete qualifiers that don't add any new information to the sentence.

Examples:

virtually, basically, generally, practically, definitely, actually, essentially, totally, simply, absolutely

3. Delete modifiers that are already implied by the nouns

Examples:

• Free gift → gift (gifts are free)
• Past history → history (history is past)
• Brief moment → moment (a moment is brief)

4. Remove general category words attached to specific words

Examples:

• Large in size → large
• Yellow in colour → yellow
• Period of time → period
• In the month of October → October

5. Instead of using a pair of similar words, choose one

Examples:

• First and foremost → first
• Each and every → each/every
• Exact same → same
• Final conclusion → conclusion

6. Use active voice instead of passive voice

Example:

A diversified portfolio is created by investors to reduce the risk of losing money → Investors create a diversified portfolio to reduce the risk of losing money.

The active sentence is shorter by three words.

7. Convert nouns to verbs, where appropriate

Examples:

• The consulting firm will provide expert advice to the Board of Directors → The consulting firm will advise the Board of Directors
• Optimizing your content with keywords has the ability to improve your search rankings → Optimizing your content with keywords can improve your search rankings

8. Don't begin sentences with "There is/There are" or "It is" unless necessary

Example:

There are many people who prefer to read books rather than watch movies → Many people prefer reading books to watching movies.

9. Reduce prepositional phrases

They usually begin with "in", "with", "of", "to, "from", and other prepositions.

Examples:

The employees of your startup can advocate for your brand by sharing positive workplace stories on social media → Your startup's employees can advocate for your brand by sharing positive workplace stories on social media.

10. Replace wordy phrases with a word

Don't waste your words

Before you send or publish your draft, follow William Zinsser's sage advice: "Examine every word you put on paper. You'll find a surprising number that don't serve any purpose."

The good news is there are tons of tools to help you cut the clutter from your writing. A quick list of my favourites:

• Grammarly
• ​Hemingway App​
• Wordtune
• ​Lose the Very​
• ChatGPT or Bard. You don't need an elaborate prompt. "Can you make this sentence/paragraph more concise without removing essential information?" is fine.

Your first draft will inevitably have wordy sentences and unnecessary details. But with careful self-editing, you can tighten your prose and make it more delightful to read.

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Thank you for reading!

If you enjoyed today's newsletter, please forward it to a friend or share the public link on your social networks (get the link here).

And if you have any writing-focused topics you'd like me to cover in future editions, please reply to this email.

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With love and semicolons,

Oluwadunni

P.S. Need an editor or know someone who does? Reach out here.​
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