Writing Tip & Prompt: Avoid Wordiness

Writing Tip & PromptOn Fridays, we like to share writing tips and tricks with our readers. We hope this section will encourage and inspire you to continually improve as a writer.

Writing Tip – Avoid Wordiness

To quote American writer William Strunk Jr., “A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. Use only what is needed to relay your meaning.”

Writing Prompt – Characteristics of Place

Describe the characteristics and qualities of the place you are right now. What gives it life? Who is here and how do they contribute to the overall mood? Look for things that usually go unnoticed – how do they had to this motif?

5 Comments

    1. I am new to this & need all the help I can get! Can you please tell me in what way they helped you? So many people say they have been helped, but are not specific. A couple of tips would sure help me.
      Thanks so much for any help you can send me.

      Sincerely,
      Dora

    1. Dear Deborah, I’m new to all this and sometimes get frustrated. Some advise you to write simply with little details – others say that details are the meat of the novel, so what to do?????? I try to take the middle road, but don’t know if I’m even on the right road heading to the right destination!!! Any suggestions will be so appreciated. Thank you!

      Sincerely,

      Dora

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