Leave Out the Parts that People Will Skip
August 21st, 2007
Author Elmore Leonard once said the following about writing:
“I try to leave out the parts that people skip.”
Ouch - I read that quote and instantaneously am convicted by my verbosity. I suspect that many bloggers can relate.
One of the keys to blogging is not only working out what to publish - but what not to publish.
This is a skill that I think we need to learn on two fronts:
- Within Posts - some bloggers (myself at time) seem to write every thought that comes to mind on a topic as they think it. They end up with long rambling posts that probably could have been said in about 50% of the words.
- Across a Blog - on a bigger picture level I’ve been learning lately that posting less frequently and deleting second rate and half thought through posts can improve your blog significantly.
A question that I’ve been asking myself lately before hitting publish:
“Would I read this on another blog and be moved to comment, link to it or pass it onto a friend?”
If I don’t answer yes - I either rewrite the post or delete it.
This guest post was written by Darren Rowse from Problogger.
More great reading: 10 Essential Tips for Writing a Great Post
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Let me be the first comment and welcome you Darren to the house of Blog Bloke.
I totally agree with your conclusions… less is more and quality is better than quantity when it comes to writing.
Now if I can only figure out how to narrow a post down to one-liners like Scoble and Dave Winer do and I’ll be an a-lister for sure ;-).
Thanks for the great post. Cheers!
…BB
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thanks for the opportunity to contribute.
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I’m notoriously verbose. Less is more, but less is hard! I’m practicing my editing more than ever, and I’m thrilled if I can cut 20% of my content and lose nothing in the process.
If anyone thinks writing short blog post is difficult, try writing a story at OneSentence.org.
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This guest post and the reconciliation it represents makes me very, very happy.
May you both know every success.
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I wish bloggers would publish less, I find it difficult to keep up with everything. Which is why I’ve had to slash a lot of my RSS subscriptions - I wasn’t getting any work done!
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Yup, I struggle with this every time I post!
I believe 100% in my writing ability and know that if anyone takes the time to read every word, they will get the message.
However, when “every word” turns into a post that takes more than just a few minutes to read, people start dropping off.
Ah, the dangers of being a motor mouth…
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I write for a living and can be incredibly concise for work that involves a paycheck. My blogzine, however, can be a different story.
I’m also trying to trim off the fat and just leave readers with the meat.
hak
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Good reminder! I tend to be kind of wordy too. If I just take the time, I can usually cut out a lot of extraneous words.
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I could do with a dose of under-dosage in my own blog… I’m taking this advice.
Thanks, Blog Bloke & Darren!
Susheel
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…interesting, I’ve always thought the more the better…in terms of frequency of posts as well…but in the end, I have to agree it really comes down to quality content
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Thanks for dropping by and the great comments everyone. Since I’m ill right now and can’t write as often as I would like, I guess I will have no problem following this advice.
Cheers!
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Great quote… seems I’ve seen it somewhere before.
Good also to see you two have kissed and made up.
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Does that go for you and I as well
Thanks for dropping Brian.
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That is probably my biggest struggle. I have tried to trim a bit and add some visual things to help draw people through.
But I’m working on it!
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One technique I learned in songwriting also works for regular writing: remove as many words as you can. You’re left with a core of meaning and shorter sentences that are easier to read.
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Yup…said the same thing on a post recently about building blog abs. We need to take a break sometimes, re-consider what we’re posting, and this way our blogs will be bettah!
It’s good news to see the happy collaboration!
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“Less is more.”
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More or less
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I have been following this sort of principal - trouble is I am hardly writing lately
Sometimes I get the feeling that it has all been said before and there is nothing new or different I can contribute.
Sueblimely’s last blog post..What are the Cows and Conns of Making Money Online
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Exactly my point Sue! There are just too many sploggers out there recycling information that’s already been said and done. They make me ill and it’s a game that I refuse to play.
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Dec 30th, 2007 at 11:00 pm
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