Writers tend to be wordy, even though everyone says to write concisely. The truth is that’s normal. Concise writing takes work. The way we write is much different from the way we talk, so what might sound normal out loud doesn’t always translate well in a story (see, I’m being wordy right now).

It’s also normal for rough drafts to be wordy. When you go back to edit, you’ll cut A LOT of words. But how do you know what to cut out? How do you practice conciseness in writing?

 

Cut Words

First you write. After that, you edit. Then, you edit some more. In terms of being concise, you cut A LOT.

Someone once warned me that, when you receive edits from a professional editor, it’s normal to see tons of red lines crossing out words. Those words are unnecessary. They might seem vital, but they aren’t. These include:

  1. Redundant words. Sometimes writers use the same word or phrase more than once in the same paragraph. Editors will note these and advise you to enhance your vocabulary by cutting redundancies.
  2. Adverbs. Avoid too many of these! By using strong, descriptive verbs and adjectives, you convey what’s happening in your story instead of telling your readers how someone sounded, looked, or acted. For example, “He said angrily” doesn’t convey as much as “He grumped” or “He snarled.”
  3. Too much description. Don’t get me wrong, description is great. Sometimes, though, writers add too much. The story needs to move forward. How do you know how much description is best? For one, read other books and see what those writers do. Two, trust your gut.

So don’t get offended when editors cut what looks like half your words. Your story can stand on its own two feet without anything extra. Start practicing conciseness by asking: is this necessary? Does it sound good without this phrase or this word? Then, focus on the story. That’s most important.

 

Simplify Words

Have you heard the quote “Never use a long word where a short one will do.”? Well, that’s partly true. Use fun, larger words every now and then, but don’t go overboard. Too many large words can bog your story down. This is called “purple prose,” and it ruins your writing. Additionally, when you have lots of big words in your description or imagery, readers might not understand what’s happening. Sure, beautiful words are great for describing things, but there’s a right and wrong way to do it. For example:

The grandiose, magnificent, glorious range of mountains studded with streaks of obsidian floundered through the rumbling, majestic, azure skies, pointing to the zenith of the frozen atmosphere.

You might understand what that sentence meant to say, but what if I just said:

The sea of black clouds clung to the mountains.

 

Which better describes the mountains and clouds? Which is easier to say out loud?

Besides description, you want to simplify things for your characters. Unless your character is a professor type who knows these words and uses them often, you have no reason to include them when your character speaks. If your protagonist is a child, for example, they need to sound like one (unless they’ve learned tons of words – and they explain them).

To be concise, look for what you can simplify. Start by reading your work out loud. Is it easy to read and follow? Do you get tongue-tied or stumble through sentences? The words must flow, and it must be clear what you’re saying. Good writing is easy to read and easy to understand. Yes, you might include a larger word, but if it’s easy to pronounce and understand, then you retain that conciseness.

Focus on the story. That’s most important.

 

[Need help editing your book? We can help.]

 

Use Active Voice

This last one might apply more to blog and academic writing, but all types of writers should understand this! If you want to make your writing concise AND dynamic, avoid passive voice. Instead, use an active voice to strengthen your writing. What is active and passive voice? Check out the example below:

  1. She has been waiting for the car to pull into the driveway – passive voice.
  2. She waited for the car to pull into the driveway – active voice.

In creative and non-creative writing, you should avoid lots of passive voice. Extra words caused by passive voice bog your writing down, making it hard for your reader to pay attention. How can your reader enjoy your work when the writing gets in the way? Additionally, good creative writing needs active verbs. These verbs drive the story by:

  1. Showing a character’s action (He leaped over the fence)
  2. Continuing the scene (She grabbed her bag and headed for the door)

With passive voice, all the extra words force readers to examine a story from the outside instead of being present in the story. Think of “He had gone over the fence” vs. “He leaped over the fence.” Which is easier to imagine? Readers envision the boy leaping through active voice. But the words “had gone” imply it happened, and worse, readers just missed it. So find a good, strong verb and avoid everything else.

This process won’t be instantaneous. Like everything in writing, it takes practice. But now you have the tools to start writing with more conciseness! So get back out there and happy writing!

 

 

E.S. Foster is a fiction writer, poet, and graduate student at the University of Cambridge, St. Edmund’s. She is also the creator of the Foster Your Writing blog. Her work has appeared in over twenty literary journals, including Aurora Journal, Sour Cherry Mag, and Paragraph Planet. Her chapbooks have been published by Yavanika Press (2022) and Ghost City Press (2023). You can find more of her articles here.