| Good writing doesn't have to be hard! Try these | | | | place to start is cutting out excess by looking for |
| three simple tips for clearer, more powerful | | | | three things: qualifiers, 'that', and needless words. |
| writing. | | | | Qualifiers are a fixture in our everyday speech. |
| Is it Really in Active Voice? | | | | As a result, they slip into our writing. Qualifiers |
| If you've heard it once, you've heard it a | | | | include words like kind of, very, little, pretty and |
| thousand times. "Always use active voice." While | | | | sort of.; For example, "I am very sure about my |
| we know active voice is important, when we sit | | | | decision." When revising your writing, cut out |
| down to write something "important," like a press | | | | qualifiers. They don't add anything except volume. |
| release or business memo, active voice goes right | | | | The word 'that' is seldom needed and often |
| out the window. Never a good idea. | | | | overused. For example, "I know that I made the |
| Here's where it gets tricky. To avoid being caught | | | | right decision." Run a search for 'that' during the |
| in the passive voice trap writers turn to nominal | | | | revision process. You'll find it can be eliminated in |
| style, substituting nouns for verbs. Here's a | | | | almost every instance. |
| sentence in nominal style lifted straight from a | | | | Other needless words can be trickier to identify, |
| current news release:"Under normal circumstances | | | | but are equally important to eliminate. Trim back |
| in our gastrointestinal systems, there are many | | | | wordy phrases to aid clarity and understanding. |
| more 'friendly' bacteria than 'bad' bacteria." But | | | | Consider he has a kind nature, the foreseeable |
| you know better. As an active voice advocate, | | | | future, and the story is a strange one. These |
| you write "Normally, many more 'friendly' bacteria | | | | phrases become he is kind, the future, and the |
| than 'bad' bacteria live in our gastrointestinal | | | | story is strange. |
| systems." | | | | Put a Hold on Hyperbole |
| Most of today's business writing uses a nominal or | | | | "Don't use words too big for the subject. Don't |
| passive style, so using active voice will take some | | | | say 'infinitely' when you mean 'very'; otherwise |
| work and may feel funny at first. But when you | | | | you'll have no word left when you want to talk |
| master the technique, your words will stand out in | | | | about something really infinite." |
| a sea of boring. Ready for some practice? How | | | | -- C.S. Lewis |
| would you rewrite this news release lead in active | | | | Writers have a tendency to overstate the case, |
| voice? | | | | particularly when writing marketing copy. How |
| "With October being National Physical Therapy | | | | often have you read about a "world class" |
| Awareness Month, expect Nintendo Wiis to be | | | | company? |
| flying off the shelves." | | | | Even when writing promotional copy, take C.S. |
| Cutting Out the Excess | | | | Lewis' advice to heart. If your company is truly |
| Writing is simple. Revising is the challenge. It's easy | | | | world-class, have the facts to back it up. And if |
| to become too attached to our own words. But, | | | | you're not, don't say it. Being 'the drycleaner |
| most good writers spend almost as much time | | | | customers in the Twin Cities choose 2 to 1' is |
| revising their work as creating it. If you're not | | | | much more convincing than being a 'world-class |
| making a habit out of editing your writing, a good | | | | drycleaner'. |