avatarDerek Hughes

Summary

The article advises on improving writing by eliminating uncertainty, complexity, passivity, clutter, clichés, adverbs, and poor design.

Abstract

The article "Remove These 7 Things To Make Your Writing Breathtaking" emphasizes the power of subtraction in writing. It suggests that writers should avoid uncertainty by being assertive and direct, simplify their language to enhance clarity and persuasiveness, use active voice to make the text more engaging, declutter sentences for easier comprehension, avoid clichés to maintain reader interest, eliminate adverbs for stronger descriptions, and improve the visual layout of their writing. The author, Derek Hughes, illustrates these points with examples and encourages the use of tools like Hemingway for editing. The article also promotes the use of white space, bullet points, sub-headings, and short paragraphs to enhance readability.

Opinions

  • The author believes that adding complexity to writing does not enhance it but rather makes it less accessible and persuasive.
  • Being assertive and direct in writing is seen as a way to project confidence and engage readers.
  • The use of passive voice is discouraged as it is considered to make writing harder to read, remember, and understand.
  • Cluttered writing is viewed as a hindrance to reader engagement, with simplicity and conciseness being preferred.
  • Cliches are deemed as an "attention killer" because the brain tends to ignore familiar phrases, leading to disengagement.
  • Adverbs, especially those ending in -ly, are thought to weaken writing and should be replaced with more descriptive language or omitted entirely.
  • Good design, including the strategic use of white space and formatting elements like bullet points and sub-headings, is considered essential for reader engagement and comprehension.

Remove These 7 Things To Make Your Writing Breathtaking

The incredible impact of deleting these 7 when I edit

Photo by Pixabay:

The easiest way to power up your writing is subtraction.

We have this tendency to add more in. Add a story. Use a metaphor. Give an extra solution. We think these additions enhance our writing. But as Steve Jobs proved when you get rid of what weakens. Your strength doubles in power.

Remove these 7 things to boost your writing.

1. Stop being uncertain

Being soft and gentle in personal conversations works well.

But in your writing it’s weak. Be assertive and direct. Be certain. Readers will find your confidence irresistible. It’s a mistake to try and come alongside readers with soft language. Words like probably and maybe should be deleted. Could, might and I think need to go too.

Your reader is not delicate like a prized ming vase. They are robust and want inspiring. Do this with direct language.

Here’s what I mean:

Delicate: Maybe you could include mindfulness practices into your day

Direct: Use these mindfulness practices daily

Delicate: I think this new productivity app might help you save time

Direct: This new productivity app will save you time

Delicate: Perhaps you could include more green vegetables in your diet

Direct: Add more vegetables to your diet

Delete uncertainty and boldly declare what you think.

2. Complexity

Have you come across the anti-simple campaign yet?

A critical reader told me to stop writing simply.

You’ll end up with uneducated and lazy readers…writing about serious ideas can’t be written like a first grader.

I’ve written a full response here. Rammed with scientific research. But in summary, the evidence proves simpler writing:

  • is more persuasive
  • is more pleasant to read
  • builds reader’s confidence
  • makes a reader feel included

I love Hemingway. It offers me simpler alternatives. I’m shocked how I complicate my sentences. When there is an easier option, with the same meaning! This is what I mean:

Utilize -> Use

Inquire -> Ask

Facilitate -> Help

Terminate -> End

Consume -> Eat/Read

Implement -> Carry out

If you care about your readers. Remove complexity.

3. Quit being passive

Being passive robs your writing of energy.

Passive is when your subject receives the action of the sentence.

The ball was thrown by Jenny

The active sentence puts the doer first:

Jenny threw the ball

Research has shown passive writing is

  • harder to read
  • harder to remember
  • harder to understand

The active voice is quicker to read and more engaging. Readers love it.

Check out these examples:

P: The report was written by the marketing team

A: The marketing team wrote the report

P: Mistakes were made during the project

A: We made mistakes during the project

P: The decision will be made by the board

A: The board will make the decision

Notice how dynamic the active feels compared to the sluggish passive voice. I struggle to spot the passive voice. So I use Hemingway in my editing process.

Stop being passive and you’ll add vitality

4. Clear the clutter

When sentences are clear, the pleasure part of the brain lights up.

Cluttered writing demands more brain power. But short sentences place a lighter load on the brain. They make reading easier and faster. We love to conserve energy. So clutter will lose you readers. They prefer concise writing. Because this makes their brain smile. And gets the dopamine flowing.

So can you use fewer words to say the same thing? We use longer sentences when speaking to give a listener time to process our words. But this doesn’t work in writing. Make your sentences precise. Look for words you can remove, without affecting the meaning. This’ll make your writing smoother.

Here’s some examples:

Clutter: The final outcome of the experiment was successful

Clear: The outcome of the experiment was successful

Clutter: He personally greeted each and every guest at the event

Clear: He greeted every guest at the event

Clutter: She completely eliminated all unnecessary expenses

Clear: She eliminated unnecessary expenses

Don’t worry about this when you’re writing your first draft. Get the words down. But when you edit, clear the clutter.

Easy to read gets read.

5. End the cliches

People don’t read cliches.

The brain saves energy by ignoring what’s familiar. This is why you can drive a familiar journey. But have no memory of traveling the route. Your brain is lazy and loves to switch to autopilot. The moment your reader thinks they know the next few words. Their brain switches off.

Cliches are an attention killer.

Replace with the literal meaning. This will make your writing vibrant and fresh.

Check out these examples:

Cliché: The ball is in your court

Literal: The decision is yours.

Cliché: Caught between a rock and a hard place

Literal: Facing a difficult decision

Cliché: Don’t count your chickens before they hatch

Literal: It’s wise to wait for results before celebrating

Cliche: A diamond in the rough

Literal: A rare find with potential

I bet you didn’t even read each cliche. You skimmed it. But the literal phrases caught your attention. Your niche has its buzzwords and overdone phrases. Learn to spot these if you want attention on your content.

Replace them to keep the brain engaged.

6. Kill your adverbs

You need strong, descriptive language to captivate readers.

Adverbs weaken your writing but get slipped in everywhere. An adverb describes a verb or adjective. Mostly they end in -ly. Adverbs are a problem because they do the opposite of what you intend.

For example take very, really, or extremely. They are meant to strengthen the sentence. But weaken it instead. An “extremely important meeting” doesn’t sound more significant than an “important” one. A person described as “really brilliant” would sound better as “brilliant.”

Adverbs are so overused readers skirt past them.

When you find yourself adding an adverb. Remove it and replace the word you’re modifying. Instead of very calm, choose serene, tranquil, or hushed.

Here’s some examples of this technique:

Weak: She was very happy

Strong: She was ecstatic

Weak: The cake tasted really good

Strong: The cake tasted delicious

Weak: He was really tired

Strong: He was exhausted

Weak: The sunset was very beautiful

Strong: The sunset was stunning

But what about when you don’t have time or head space to think of a new word? Easy solution. Delete the adverb. The sentence will be stronger without it.

7. Poor design

My heart sinks when I see a wall of text.

Why would you build a wall your reader has to climb over? Long paragraphs force your readers to huff and puff through your words. They are exhausted by it. My best-ever article got 7500 views on this platform. It showed how to use white space to enhance your words by using:

  • bullet points
  • sub-headings
  • short paragraphs

My favourite trick is to start and end each section with a single powerful sentence. Scan back through this article for some examples.

Remove these 7 things to make your writing crisper. And watch your reader fall in love with your writing.

If you want the writing system I used to grow to 5000 followers and earn $800/month. Join 785 writers and get it for free here:

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