“Omit needless words”–Excerpt from Strunk’s The Elements of Style
“Omit needless words,” advises William Strunk in the original edition of The Elements of Style, a bible for writers. He then says
Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.
I agree.
Read the rest of Strunk’s advice on needless words.
_______________________________________________________________
Need to write better? Register for my next class on “How to Write Blog Posts People Will Read: A 5-Week Writing Class for Financial Advisors” starting May 16. You won’t get another chance to take this class until 2013.
Receive a free 32-page e-book with client communications tips when you sign up for my free monthly newsletter.
This content may not be reposted without the author’s written permission.
No related posts.
SUSAN WEINER, CFA