Cut it in half: 3 ways to strengthen your writing
Eliminate redundancies, substitute potent words for tepid phrasing, and pinpoint your focus as you rewrite.
We are rerunning the most-viewed articles of 2019. This was one of the top five most-popular writing and editing articles of the year.
You’ve filled your Word.doc with brilliance, and it’s time to hit the publish button.
Not so fast. You’re skipping the crucial step: editing. Stringent editing will strengthen your writing.
Check your word count, and cut it in half. That’s right, in half.
You’ll probably find—if you look carefully—that you can make your key point(s) in half the words.
Imagine you’re trimming the bone, gristle and fat, retaining the meat. There’s nothing wrong with “butchering copy” in this way.
Here are three methods:
Become a Ragan Insider member to read this article and all other archived content.
Sign up today
Already a member? Log in here.
Learn more about Ragan Insider.