WEBVTT - Second Cup: Make it shorter, make it better

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is that when you're writing, making something shorter almost

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<v Speaker 1>always makes it better. So give your writing a haircut

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<v Speaker 1>and your readers will be happier to read what you wrote.

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<v Speaker 1>This week, I'm sharing some of my favorite writing tips.

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<v Speaker 1>Even if you don't write for a living, you might

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<v Speaker 1>need to write reports or emails or articles for industry publications.

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<v Speaker 1>A few strategies can help anyone create writing that is

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<v Speaker 1>more compelling and clear. So my first professional writing gigs

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<v Speaker 1>were for USA Today and Readers Digest, which are two

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<v Speaker 1>publications known for brevity. Paper publications always have limited space,

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<v Speaker 1>and so whatever I wrote the first time would almost

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<v Speaker 1>always need to become shorter to make it onto the page.

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<v Speaker 1>This was sometimes frustrating, and it doesn't work to turn

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<v Speaker 1>a one thousand word article into a five hundred word article.

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<v Speaker 1>You need a different sized thesis for those two lengths.

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<v Speaker 1>That said, turning a one thousand word article into a

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<v Speaker 1>nine hundred word article is not only possible, it will

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<v Speaker 1>likely improve things. Here's how you will immediately hunt for

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<v Speaker 1>extraneous phrases. We all have these throat clearing sets of

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<v Speaker 1>words that we throw in without thinking about it. If

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<v Speaker 1>you are aiming to cut ten to fifteen percent, those

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<v Speaker 1>will go fast. You'll also look for more comprehensive words.

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<v Speaker 1>Walked slowly might become ambled. Ran really quickly might become sprinted.

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<v Speaker 1>Exact words make writing more pleasurable. A subject will return

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<v Speaker 1>to later this week. You will act the passive voice. Generally,

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<v Speaker 1>sentences where the subject does the verb are more succinct

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<v Speaker 1>than ones where the verb is happening and we have

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<v Speaker 1>to back up and explain that it is being done

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<v Speaker 1>by someone. You will ask yourself if every word in

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<v Speaker 1>every sentence is necessary. Often they aren't. Sometimes one sentence

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<v Speaker 1>explains things better than another, and so you will keep

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<v Speaker 1>the sentence that does the hard work and get rid

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<v Speaker 1>of the one that's just standing there acting like it's

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<v Speaker 1>helping a bit. By weighing each word and each sentence,

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<v Speaker 1>your writing will become more clear. It is generally easier

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<v Speaker 1>for a reader to get through nine hundred words than

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<v Speaker 1>one thousand. If the nine hundred words can say the

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<v Speaker 1>same thing as the one thousand words, then everyone is winning.

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<v Speaker 1>Now again, there is a limit on this I have

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<v Speaker 1>seen some amazing work get hacked over the years just

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<v Speaker 1>to fit into a certain space. In the digital world,

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<v Speaker 1>this is all a little bit more arbitrary and not

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<v Speaker 1>as necessary as in the days of print. But if

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<v Speaker 1>you want to learn to be your own best editor,

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<v Speaker 1>aiming to say things in ten to fifteen percent fewer

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<v Speaker 1>words will teach you all sorts of editing skills. You'll

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<v Speaker 1>learn better grammar and style almost by default. In the meantime,

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<v Speaker 1>this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making

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<v Speaker 1>the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to

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<v Speaker 1>hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,

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<v Speaker 1>or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook,

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<v Speaker 1>and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the

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<v Speaker 1>number four then Breakfast pod. You can also shoot me

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<v Speaker 1>an email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>That before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks so much, should I look forward to staying in touch.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts

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<v Speaker 1>from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

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<v Speaker 1>you listen to your favorite shows.