“When you say something make sure you have said it.”
Word to E.B. White! Nothing grinds my gears more than a writer that fails to get to the point. It creates a lack of clarity and the potential for major miscommunication for the reader. With writing, the expectation is simple. BE CLEAR. You want to make sure that readers can follow your message by making your writing easy to understand. The last thing you want is for a reader to come up with his or her own interpretation for your work. An interpretation that is an obvious opposite of what you were attempting to convey. Whether it's creative writing, nonfiction, professional writing, or an email, don't allow your message to get muffled by using extra words that make things confusing. When editing your work, edit to:
- Shorten
- Sharpen
- Clarify
- Simplify
- Improve order
- Improve logic
- Make sure nothing is left out
- Review everything from the readers point of view
And when all else fails just ask yourself, "Are you being clear or writing to impress?"-- CTB