When Less Is More
For me, writing is both a joy and a battle. Several battles. There are the preliminary battles of time, inspiration, and discouragement. Then, there are the battles that take place after the initial writing is done. Unless you have the supernatural ability to put your writing to page in a perfected state — I’d say, “God bless you,” but apparently He already did — the first draft of your writing may be either starved for detail or fat with it. I have the latter problem.
Sometimes, as writers, it’s a fight to unburden paragraphs of unnecessary sentences and sentences of unnecessary words. Expressing yourself succinctly requires time and effort. My first drafts are bloated with superfluous words and phrases. After I’ve finished a draft, I take a break, then return to reread, simplify, and reorganize. Five drafts later, I usually have something I can bear. (If you find my blog posts wordy, you’d be appalled by my first drafts.) This is my process. No doubt, you have your own. However, if editing what you’ve written sounds like too much work, consider what’s at stake. When you overpopulate your sentences and paragraphs, you risk losing the reader’s attention. You risk confusing the reader. You threaten the efficacy of your writing.
Often, we “over word” in an attempt to emphasize. We’ve all read, “the room was completely silent” or “he was utterly dead.” But, unless you’re the Dread Pirate Roberts, and only “mostly dead,” dead is dead. We’re not six-year-olds: “I’m 100 percent absolutely dying for a drink.” In fact, fewer words can give more emphasis, not less. “Jesus wept” is two words. Yet, this sentence is one of the most evocative and telling sentences in the Bible. More words doesn’t equal more emotion. Imagine an anxious family in a hospital waiting room. The doctor enters, and the family asks how the surgery went. The doctor says, “Unfortunately, there were some very serious complications.” Rewind the scene. The doctor enters, and the family asks how the surgery went. He says, “There were complications.” Which version of the doctor’s update is more foreboding? In this instance, the gut-punch of three words, “There were complications,” is more effective.
There are times when you should not edit extra words. Dialogue and first person narration are exceptional cases. You must remain true to your character’s voice. Perhaps the character speaking is a six-year-old who overemphasizes everything. Your own voice is something to consider as well. Perhaps your style of writing is very descriptive and a little word heavy. You, the writer, have the final say on how your writing should sound.
Find the balance between clarity, brevity, and style. As discussed in my last post, read your work aloud. Does the sentence or paragraph read smoothly? Does it sound “right” to you? When faced with long versus short, determine which type of sentence fosters the intended emotion. Maintain character voice, and allow for your own voice/writing style. In short, choose your words wisely. Make the words you use matter. Get rid of the words that don’t.