One of the biggest ironies of writing is that it's harder to convey yourself in a simple way than in a complicated one. But despite how tricky succinct copy is to write, it is incredibly beneficial for every writer.

Concise copy ensures that your messages don't get lost in long elaborate sentences. Additionally, it helps you to capture and hold your audience's attention by telling them what they need to know quickly and clearly.

But how do you stop yourself from overdoing it in your copy?

media update's Lara Smit is showing you how to keep things simple right here:

Rule No.1: Prune your writing

When it comes to writing succinctly, George Orwell believes that "if it is possible to cut out a word, always cut it out."

You may not know it, but a lot of the words that you use when writing don’t have to be there. Think about it: How many times have you used a phrase like "a large percentage of" or "a big portion of" when you could have just said "many"? Or perhaps, used qualifiers that serve no purpose in getting your message across like "actually" and "definitely"?

So, as a rule of thumb, cut the copy by asking yourself if the words you are using serve a purpose or if your phrases can be replaced with a simple term.

Rule No. 2: Use short words

Another point Orwell makes about writing concisely is that you should "never use a long word where a short one will do."

Often writers are guilty of believing that complex words and sentences sound 'smarter' — making them seem more credible to readers. However, when they do this, they forget an important purpose of writing: conveying complicated ideas to readers in a way that they will understand.

This is particularly true when writers use jargon and other technical terms that readers might not be familiar with.

Therefore, when writing, your goal should always be that your readers should be able to read your text easily (and without the assistance of an online dictionary).

Rule No.3: Stop modifying unnecessarily

Modifiers are words and phrases that are used to make the meaning of a sentence clear. These are often adjectives or adverbs that are used to describe nouns — making their meaning more specific to readers.

However, sometimes modifiers repeat what has already been stated in a sentence, making them unnecessary.

For example, "I look forward to becoming a writer one day in the future."

In this sentence, the phrases 'one day' and 'in the future' are unnecessary modifiers as the phrase 'looking forward to' already implies that the event will take place 'one day' or 'in the future'. Therefore, when eliminating these phrases, the sentence will read better, like the following:

"I look forward to becoming a writer."

Rule No.4: Be active

Writing in an active voice will automatically make your sentences concise because this style innately uses fewer words.

For example:

Passive voice: "This article will be written by me today."

Active voice: "I will write this article today."

It's as simple as that.

Rule No.5: Use less adjectives

Adjectives fill up a sentence quickly. Most of the time, an array of descriptive words can be avoided by replacing them with one comprehensive adjective.

For example, "The fine, petite and dainty picture frame" could be shortened into, "The delicate picture frame."

This is an easy way to refine your writing and enhance its readability.

What else do you think writers can do to write more concisely? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Keen on more writing tips? How about learning a few from Netflix’s most famous penman in our article, Writing with Lady Whistledown: A most exhilarating affair.
*Image courtesy of Canva