Compare these two sentences:
“In the author’s opinion, it is in most peoples’ best interests when excessive verbiage is avoided by people who are engaged in the act of writing.”
“Don’t fluff up your writing.”
They say the same thing, but the second one is much more direct and memorable.
Whether you’re writing website content, instructions, or an important email – every word costs your readers time and energy. If it doesn’t pay off quickly, you will quickly lose their attention and potential business.
Pack a lot of content into a few words.
If you’re not convinced, here are some illuminating resources:
– Mark Twain said “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”
– Google cuts words mercilessly.
– If you add 100 words to your website, people will read less than 20 of them.
– A book On Writing Well
Of course there is no formula for success except perhaps an unconditional acceptance of life and what it brings.