When writing business, health, travel and other nonfiction books, it pays to remember a basic concept: Extra words do not produce extra understanding.
Consider this sentence: What I am trying to get across is that it is important to consider and discuss the major contributing factors that have caused the economy to evolve into what it has become at the present time. The sentence is 36 words long, with many extraneous words.
A simplification: It is important to consider the major factors that have shaped today’s economy. This sentence makes the same point in only 13 words, and the message is much clearer.
Now consider this sentence: Whether foreign agents working at the behest of Western governments to undermine the current regime in power are currently present in Egypt has been judged to be of a low likelihood by impartial observers who are considered to be experts in the assessment of matters such as these.
A simplification: Impartial experts studying the Egyptian situation agree that Western governments are unlikely to support the infiltration of foreign agents attempting to undermine the current regime. The first sentence is 48 words long and the second only 25: dumping almost half of the words made it much easier to convey the idea.
Unnecessary words do not enhance. Instead, they often obscure the meaning and make the writing less readable. When editing your writing, strike out any unnecessary words that gum up the works. Here are some examples, with shorter and clearer alternatives. Instead of:
- “At this point in time…” use, “now” or “at this time…”
- “What it is, is…” use, “It is…”
- “To be that of…” use, “To be…”
- “He is a person who…” use, “He is…”
- “These are problems that are related to the war…” use, “These are war-related problems…”
- “Prior to this time, we have never seen…” use, “We have never seen…”
- “Provide aid to all of the people who are poor…” use, “Aid all of the poor…”
- “There are many diplomatic issues, which include…” use, “The many diplomatic issues include…”
In almost every case, you and your readers will be much better off if you divest your writing of all extraneous words.
We at Taylor-Fox can help you create your business book, health book, memoir, biography, inspirational book or other book and get it ready for publication. We’ve helped scores of people achieve their goals, and some of their books have landed on bestseller lists. Call us at 818-594-0379.
Nadine Taylor and Barry Fox write, ghostwrite, rewrite and edit books in many genres, including health, business, inspiration/ spirituality and memoirs. Their resume is long and varied but there’s one thing that never changes: They love to work with words, creating books that are clear, compelling and pleasurable to read. If you’re interested in writing a book, editing a book and/or publishing a book, you’ve come to the right place!
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