Thanks for the post Jessica! I always think that every word counts because it allows you to create pictures for the reader - allowing the unsaid (unwritten) to be revealed.
I often point to my previous work as a fundraising researcher (whose job was 99% writing research profiles) in learning how to economize words. The "paring" and polishing practice really sharpens the edge. Thanks for validating that for me! Congratulations on Hot Flash's impressive evolution, too!
Thanks, Keith!! Economizing words really is a skill! I have to laugh sometimes because I'm often initially very wordy (both in speaking and writing), as my thoughts slowly come together. Some people are better at economizing more quickly, but I think it can take some practice. (As a side note, I often find it harder to economize when writing something more personal, so I have to find a way to approach the prose as though it were someone else's words. Economizing in fiction comes much more naturally to me.)
So interesting to hear the distinction between fiction/NF and word economy...I haven't really written much fiction, so I have no sense of that for myself! Having to look at my own words as though they're someone else's rings totally true for me, too. Reading what I've written out loud seems to work really well for me in identifying word bloat, too.
Thanks for the post Jessica! I always think that every word counts because it allows you to create pictures for the reader - allowing the unsaid (unwritten) to be revealed.
Yes, indeed!
I often point to my previous work as a fundraising researcher (whose job was 99% writing research profiles) in learning how to economize words. The "paring" and polishing practice really sharpens the edge. Thanks for validating that for me! Congratulations on Hot Flash's impressive evolution, too!
Thanks, Keith!! Economizing words really is a skill! I have to laugh sometimes because I'm often initially very wordy (both in speaking and writing), as my thoughts slowly come together. Some people are better at economizing more quickly, but I think it can take some practice. (As a side note, I often find it harder to economize when writing something more personal, so I have to find a way to approach the prose as though it were someone else's words. Economizing in fiction comes much more naturally to me.)
So interesting to hear the distinction between fiction/NF and word economy...I haven't really written much fiction, so I have no sense of that for myself! Having to look at my own words as though they're someone else's rings totally true for me, too. Reading what I've written out loud seems to work really well for me in identifying word bloat, too.
Yes, reading our work out loud definitely helps!