Tight writing

Quotes on using more periods

What writers and others say

“A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.”

— Anonymous

“A couple of issues about ending on a strong direct quote.

Start making sense

Convince reviewers to abandon jargon

Richard Teerlink, chairman of Harley-Davidson, stands in front of a screen showing a bicep emblazoned with his company’s logo.

“We don’t call them tattoos any more,” he told his audience.… Read the full article

Clarity killers to avoid

Stop these institutional mistakes for readability

Want to make sure you’re not eradicating clarity in your organization?

Slaughter these problems instead, suggest Martin J. Eppler, Ph.D.,… Read the full article

Hit Return more often

People skip long paragraphs

Readers take measure of — and make decisions about — your copy based on how it looks. One of the most important visual cues is paragraph length.… Read the full article

Create more short pages

Fewer long pages are less effective

Think index cards, not toilet paper: websites with many short pages — as opposed to those with fewer longer pages — work better.… Read the full article

All-time low

Americans average 19 minutes a day reading

The average American reads for pleasure less than 20 minutes a day, according to a new study from the U.S.… Read the full article

How small is small?

Mini narratives can be as brief as a paragraph

In The Emperor of All Maladies, Siddhartha Mukherjee shares this tiny tale:

“In 2005, a man diagnosed with multiple myeloma asked me if he would be alive to watch his daughter graduate from high school in a few months.… Read the full article

Take a tip from Norm MacDonald

#RIPRobinWilliams tweets show how to serialize your story

What can you learn from Norm MacDonald’s Twitter tribute (would that be twibute?) to Robin Williams? What can’t you learn?!… Read the full article