by Karen Dustman
There’s a smoothness to good writing. It’s effortless to read. Your eye moves easily through the sentence. You don’t have to struggle to make sense of the paragraph.
Easier said than done, of course. But good writing is part art, part craft. And that means that the right tools and a bit of practice can make a world of difference.
Here are 3 easy hacks to help boost the flow of your copy:
- Ditch those really fun, super-amazing modifiers.
Okay, we all have a tendency to gush from time to time. But too many modifiers slow down a reader’s eye. And let’s face it: by the fifth superlative in a sentence, you’re really just “gilding the lily” anyhow.
Here’s a few real-life examples (tweaked slightly to protect the guilty), so you can see what I mean:
“The third edition of Fantastic Health Book is an essential family resource and one of the most successful and authoritative compendiums of its time. Fully revised and updated, it is a definitive reference book and includes time-tested natural treatments . . . .”
“I’m super excited to welcome Company ABC to our powerhouse Retail Establishment, and so happy to see our shelves filled with their beautiful, artfully-crafted vintage products, perfect to help you achieve your best modern-day wellness!”
Yeah, excitement sells. But don’t over-sell. Apply the brakes to breathless adjective strings (like “beautiful, artfully-crafted vintage”). And try to avoid double-descriptors (“successful and authoritative”; “fully revised and updated”). They’re needlessly wordy.
Compare these (much) cleaner rewrites:
“Now in its third edition, Fantastic Health Book is an essential family resource. It features time-tested natural treatments . . .
“We’re happy to welcome Company ABC’s time-tested products to our natural wellness line.”
Yeah. Whew. Much easier on the reader.
- Shorten your sentences.
Here’s a real-life example from (sad to say!) a publishing company’s website:
“XYZ Company offers the rare experience of working with a team of award winning writers, editors, marketers and publicists to not only have a book but to have one that makes an impact and gets our authors the coverage they desire and deserve.”
Ugh. Did you read all the way to the end of that 43-word monstrosity? Or did your eyes glaze over half-way through? (Mine did!)
Let’s do a little sentence-rescue and see how we could make that read better. What are the important points in that messy word salad?
- We have a great team of publishing-industry experts;
- We can get our book into print;
- We can help you with marketing and media exposure.
No wonder the sentence is over-long and confusing! There are three separate “messages” all run together there.
The cure is staying “short and sweet”: split that monster sentence into individual “message” components. Here’s one version of how that might look:
“We’ve got an award-winning publishing team here at XYZ Company. Our writers and editors can help get your book into print. And our marketing experts and publicists help writers land the media exposure they’re after.”
Bingo. Shorter sentences that don’t overwhelm you, and individual messages that now make sense.
- Learn to tell your “it’s” from your “its.” If there’s one tiny word that gets misused more than any other in the English language, it’s probably that dangerous three-letter “its.” Show your writing chops by using the right one.
Here’s the simple hack: When you see an apostrophe, mentally fill in the omitted letter and see if your sentence still makes sense. So, for example:
“It’s the right time of year to go fishing.” Yup, that “it is”!
But: “He took the hat from it’s place on the rack.” Nope! “It is” doesn’t work here. That hat needs to get put in “its place.” Pitch the apostrophe and carry on! You’ve got it, now.
Hope these simple writing hacks have helped you. Here’s to writing like a pro!
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I write frequently about history, travel, family/oral history, natural health, and more. Like to discuss a podcast appearance or magazine assignment? I’d love to hear from you. Find clips and more on my author website: KarenDustman.com
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Karen Dustman is a published author, freelance journalist, historian, and story-sleuth. For more about Karen, her books and other fun stuff she’s written, check out her author website: www.KarenDustman.com.
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