6 words about writing

Readers offer super-short tips

Last month, in honor of Students First’s six-word essay contest to best describe what it means to be a great teacher, we asked readers to send us their writing tips in six words.

Here are the best of the bunch.

“Dump. Cut. Cut. Cut. Cut. Enjoy.”

— Ned Mann, Media Relations professional
at Chubb Executive Risk Inc.

“Long, dangly sentences are usually DOA.”

— Anita Allen, Ascend contributor at Sabre

“DOA copy is Daunting, Overwritten, Agonizing.”

— Anita Allen

“Marshal muscular verbs. Launch soaring sentences.”

— Dana Van Allen, communications specialist at Siemens Milltronics

“Sometimes, grammar police: look away.”

— Alejandro (Alex) Morones, technical writer and editor
at the University of Texas at San Antonio

“To become a better writer, read.”

— Christel K. Hall, APR CBC,
principal at PRowrite Public Relations Services

“Writer’s block cured by writing anything.”

— Andy DiOrio, director of internal communications, AMC Theatres

“Just write; keep typing; edit later.”

— Laura Temple

“Edit. Edit again. Once more. Polished.”

— Jo Lynn Deal, business management consultant

“Tell a story, don’t report it.”

— Jef White, managing editor, National Business Media

“Mesmerize with moonlight thru looking glass.”

— Susan Parson, operations manager, Business Education Compact

One more tip …

One participant pandered to the judge. He knows the judge personally and correctly assumed that she’d appreciate the pandering:

“Favorite writing tip: Read Ann Wylie”

— Barry Schneider, product communications manager at Waddell & Reed

And the winner is …

My favorite tip, both for the topic (feature leads) and imagery, is:

“Make your lead really sing – loud.”

— Mary Lisa Russell, communication specialist
at Community Medical Centers

Mary, look for one of my favorite things from my new hometown — Portland, Ore. — in your mailbox soon. And thanks to everyone who played.

Be heard

My husband likes to quote “anonymous”:

“If a man speaks in the forest,
and no woman is there to hear him,
is he still wrong?”

For communicators, the question is a little different. David Murray, editor of ContentWise, says:

“If nobody hears your strategic messaging,
does it make a sound?”

The biggest risk in communications is not that we might offend someone or write something that’s eye-rollingly goofy. The biggest risk communicators face is that we never get heard at all.

How long should your message be?
Would your message be twice as good if it were half as long?
Yes, the research says. The shorter your message, the more likely readers are to read it, understand it and make good decisions based on it.
So how long is too long? What’s the right length for your piece? Your paragraphs? Your sentences? Your words?
Find out at Rev Up Readability — our tight-writing workshop, which starts Dec. 6.
There, you’ll use a cool (free!) tool to analyze your message for 33 readability metrics. You’ll leave with quantifiable targets, tips and techniques for measurably boosting readability.
Save up to $100 with our group discounts.