Writing Concisely:

This article came about after some comments on some writing were given, in a constructive way. The writing group that I am a part of, and I would recommend, works well, especially when it comes to learning new things.

They pointed out that my wording was ‘too concise’ and that many of the sentences were ‘too short and simple’.

On a side note: this shows the benefit of, firstly, using others to critique your work, and point out their own personal views, just like the reader will be doing, after the novel is released. Secondly: be open-minded to their perspective. Initially, I did not value this critical comment, I had faith in the section I’d been working on, and I asked them to give me an example. They kindly posted some of the text, and, to my surprise, I could see exactly what they meant.

This led to a discussion about writing and how concise it should be, where to be concise, and when to go into more elaborative detail with a more complex sentence structure. I had read an interview with a well-known author, a household name, who stated that being concise was the foundation of great writing. They’re not wrong, that much is clear. We agreed that concise sentences work well for emphasis, emotional impact and providing clarity on certain details.

I decided to look into this area and do a little research. This article is a brief highlight of what I found:

The Human Reading Experience:

Everyone reads in a slightly different way; we all have our own habits, just as we process each word differently. How and when we learn a word can have an impact on this. Also, our previous reading experience can play a vital role. How often does word ‘X’ appear in literature, and how often is it followed by word ‘Y’. This might seem a little irrelevant, but each writer should use his/her own language, their own 'set’ of word preferences, to uniquely deliver their work. There is certainly merit in this logic. However, using language that is common across the industry will mean that your readers have an easier journey when navigating your novel. Finding the balance of the previous two points proves to be a recipe for success.

The Human Mind:

The reader has many unified qualities that derive from the human brain and how it works. The average human has an attention span of around 8 seconds. That is how long it takes to lose a reader’s interest. To some degree, this makes delivering a concise story a vital component. The brain recognises and processes the words that we see most often in a more orderly manner. Words that are ‘common’ are taken in a lot faster. A perfect example of this is words like ‘a’, ‘the’ and ‘to’, which are processed so fast that the reader technically skims over them. You may be familiar with the trick of the mind, or writing error, where reader after reader misses an error in a sentence with an extra ‘the’. I.e. ‘A man went to the shop to purchase the the things that they needed.’ - in this case, as I’d already mentioned it, you likely spotted the error. However, in a body of text, this is common for people to not even notice!

The fact that certain words make it easier to read should be incorporated. Some novels, typically science fiction, will naturally have abstract terms that are used. Selecting words that are processed easily while delivering a unique and interesting novel is part of the skill of writing successful work.

Familiarity & Skill?

If you like reading and writing, like me, you will most likely love to learn new and interesting words. However, have you ever been deeply engrossed in a book and come across a peculiar word that you have never heard of? This can be quite off-putting, especially if it is a vital part of the sentence, throwing you off the current story. Is a reader going to use Google to search for a term that you have used? Not likely.

Sentences:

It is important to deliver the required information directly and to be concise where possible. Avoiding information that has no real input on the story is important and part of the editing process. Yet we must consider: is it the lack of concise sentences or lack of interest that will turn a reader away? It’s likely the latter. What’s more, using sentences that are too concise and too similar in structure is something to avoid. Variance in the sentence structure to deliver a concise story is what is to be aimed for.

Avoid Filler Words:

It is something that is often recommended. Cut out any words that do not add to the delivery of the details, without compromising the writing, of course. On my first drafts of anything I’m writing, this is something very relevant to me, and I tend to use a lot of them. So when it comes to self-editing, I know that I have to look out for this and cut it out. Typically, words like: just, really, like, somehow, and suddenly. 

Avoid Filler Phrases & Jargon:

This point is similar to the one above but on a larger scale. This is also something I am bad at. These are terms that practically every decent writer, at some point, warns about. Examples: ‘just like’, ‘and suddenly’, 'at the end of the day', and the list goes on. A good tactic to use is to try a sentence with and without these, or any, terminology that might not be needed. If you can remove the phrase without changing the message, you should do so to remain concise. 

Avoid the obvious:

If it needs to be said, try and show it, rather than write it, by what the characters do or say to each other. This technique allows the readers to understand what they are reading, without getting bored. It delivers the message in a way that is new and unique, and because they process it more efficiently, they’re likely to remember the details without any struggle. This means that every instance of concise text aids the future of the reading journey.  

In summary:

It is important to deliver your story concisely. Knowing when to use common words and unique ones can aid in the delivery of information.

• A reader's ability to process the text will have an impact on the pacing.
• Concise writing does not mean simple, and it does not mean short and basic, repeating structures. 
• Importantly, avoid using the same sentence structure.
• Variety in sentence structure can keep the reader from becoming bored.