"To Make a Long Story Short"...Or The Case Against Tight Writing

Write tight.
It’s been one of the cardinal rules of creative writing since the beginning of time.
Word economy, we are told, helps readers embrace and experience our stories with a minimal mental haul.
It respects their time.

Not to mention, when it comes to print publications, brevity goes over big with editors. Fewer words often translate into fewer pages and less printing and production costs for magazines and newspapers.

But, for all its virtues, tight writing can come across as “anemic” writing. As with all things, there is a proper place and time for it.

Here’s a case in point.
Many years ago, I came across a “call for submissions” that seemed like a fun, exciting project. The publisher was seeking stories from women across the world who strategically used their "womanly wiles" to successfully land the hunk of their dreams.
It spoke to my heart.

My pen couldn’t move fast enough as I relived the magical moments I experienced when I became involved with a man with whom I had been best friends for what seemed like a lifetime.
There was just one problem.
As my rough draft unfolded, the story ended up being 200 words over the designated word count.

Like a skilled butcher, I scoured my piece multiple times to “trim the fat”.
It was a no go. Every time I would try to rewrite it to fit, I had to omit important details, or it didn’t have enough “oomph” to have real depth.

Frustrated I decided to send it off anyway.
But, I opted to attach a brief note with it, explaining to the editor my situation.
To my surprise, weeks later I got an acceptance letter. It actually beat out hundreds of other entries, and not one word was cut. Not one.

When the book was published, I was proud of what I had produced and glad I had chosen to stick to my guns and not compromise my story.

How to judge when writing tight is really right...

There’s no doubt about it: different types of writing require different approaches and different considerations. Here are a few genres and projects where writing tight is an important requisite for success.

AD COPY
GREETING CARDS
POETRY
BLOGGING

With this serving as a guideline, here are a few things to ask yourself to determine how much to include and what to toss during the creative process.

1. At the end of your piece, are there any gaping holes or unanswered questions?
2. Have you been repetitious in anything you’ve shared?
3. Does your piece have a distinguishable beginning, middle, and end with smooth transitions?
4. Like a good meal, do you feel ”full” after you read it to yourself and process it?

Less is not always more.

Think of good writing like you would a good recipe. Ultimately, it’s not how many ingredients that go into the mix, but the amount of love and attention that yields the perfect results.

No matter how many words you choose, always go BIG or go home! :-)

Thoughts? Are you an advocate of tight writing?

Image: Stock Photo