The goal of a writer is to get his or her message across with as little interference as possible. If you want your writing to be clear, it’s going to have to be concise. Wordiness waters down your message and frustrates your readers. Here are some tips from the editors at Constant Content that will help you eliminate wordiness from your submissions.
Use action verbs instead of “to be” verbs
While it isn’t always possible, eliminating “to be” verbs will make your writing more dynamic and concise. As a first step when revising, look for words like there is, it is, there are, and this is at the beginning of your sentences, and do your best to get rid of them.
Wordy: There are many videos on YouTube that teach you how to replace a sink.
Concise: Many videos on YouTube teach you how to replace a sink.
Make sure your subjects and your verbs are the actual subjects and verbs of your sentences
Look at your sentences closely and determine what your sentence is talking about (the subject) and what that subject is doing (the verb). If they aren’t written as the actual subject and verb, change it.
Wordy: In Sylvester Stallone’s new movie, there are many scenes where he grunts at bad guys.
Concise: Sylvester Stallone grunts at bad guys many times in his new movie.
Avoid filler words
Filler words add nothing to the meaning of a sentence. Don’t pad your word count with very, really, quite, and other words that decrease conciseness and can hurt the SEO value of your content writing. For a huge list of filler words, check out this web page.
Also avoid redundant phrases like each and every, my personal opinion, anticipate in advance, and first and foremost.
Super Wordy Example: In light of the fact that I really love getting rewards points, each and every time I go to the restaurant, it is absolutely essential that I use my credit card.
Better: I use my credit card when I go to the restaurant, because I love earning rewards points.
Getting rid of wordiness takes an awareness of both your message and your reader. Your original content must always serve your message, and your message should be as concise as possible. Padding a word count only decreases the effectiveness of your article. By keeping the above tips in mind, your submissions will be clearer and more likely to be accepted.
