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Hard-core editing - when every word counts
Sometimes, every word counts. Maybe clients or tutors prescribe a word-limit. Or bosses won’t read beyond a page. Maybe you've a section that annoyingly spills just onto the next page. You could remove a sentence or adjective... but assume you can’t, you need them all.
Below are ways to reduce word-count - the italicised words aren't needed. Simply remove them, no rephrasing needed.
That: “We’re sure that he’ll attend”
Which: “The car which I built is fast”
The: “The bosses thanked the staff for their input”
Possessives: “Edit your reports to ensure they’re concise”
... and edit a bit more: “Edit reports to ensure they’re concise”
Repeating personal pronouns: “You're selling and you want to close”
Introductions: “It should be noted I like it”. Or: “it must be recognised...”
Introductions with added emphasis: “It’s most important to note I like it”
Saying the same thing twice: “It was confusing and tough to understand”
(This last one - saying the same thing twice - happens a lot. Very often. Regularly.)
Next are ways to reduce word- or page-count but which require a slight rewrite:
Use contractions: I’m here, not I am here.
Use the active voice: Pat did it, not it was done by Pat.
Reverse sentences: it confused me, not I didn’t understand it.
Avoid gerunds (they end in –ing): it confused, not it was confusing.
Avoid the obvious: reports, not written reports (it's obviously written...)
Use defined terms: I like the ‘graphs’ section, not I like the section on graphs.
Use better words: tolerate, not put up with. Ensure, not make sure. Can't, not am not able to.
Use plurals: write good reports, not write a good report. This also helps avoid the he/she conundrum when writing:
- With the conundrum: “Be nice to the boss, she prefers it”
- Without it: “Be nice to bosses, they prefer it”
Notice in the above list, I use the word not, not instead of. Or - I suppose - I use not, instead of instead of…
Use short words. Adopt, not implement. Start, not commence. Also, if using illustrative names and numbers, choose short ones: “Fiji’s six secrets”, not “Australia’s seventeen secrets”. When I write, I talk about Lincoln, not Martin Luther King. About Pat, not Victoria. About IT and HR, not Marketing and Compliance. I also – if pushed for space - give three examples, not four (“IT, HR, Sales, Finance”).
Try reversing sentences, plus use so or “-“, not because. Compare these:
“People like it because it beats doing real work”
“It beats doing real work, so people like it”
“People like it – it beats doing real work”
Individually, each tip doesn't do much. Collectively, they cut reports by 10% easily – and 25% sometimes. Without loss of meaning. Your writing is more direct too.
Jon
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