How to Say Nothing In 500 Words | Paul Roberts

Writers have the talent, or the ability at least, to play with words that can inspire, inform, and persuade their writers, so why waste such time and talent on writing something that almost everyone else knows about?

This is what makes a writer’s job more challenging, especially in the information age where information can be easily accessed by anyone with the means in only a click away. It is our responsibility as writers to delve further into thinking of content that may serve as a wake up call for our readers to do action, to be informed by events that are less tackled by the national media, or to simply open their eyes on the other side of a controversial story.

While admitting that I am at fault for using lengthy sentences as a writer, I appreciate it better when the articles I am reading are direct with their ideas and arguments. I can see how this rule should be applied for a more effective writing style, as it guides not only writers but also readers to be on the same page and not to get lost with the thoughts of the author.

Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

In verbal conversations such, we can easily ask each other for the definition of the words they use that we do not understand; however, the writer-reader relationship does not have this feature (unless, of course, if you are reading the essay in front of its author). As writers, we have to make sure that our message is sent clearly to our readers, and we can fulfill such a responsibility by using words that they can easily understand.

I personally find both reading and writing in an active voice easier than using a passive voice. Writing in an active voice helps readers to focus more on the subject rather on its accompanying details such as its qualities and actions.

Such as how powerful words can influence and gain an impact on the readers, using too many words can confuse them ─ and also the writer as she slowly lose sight of her thought as she excessively writes down a long list of words that are supposed to support the topic.

Suggested reading: "Clutter" by William Zinssler

As writers, although we cannot limit the imagination of our readers, we can limit their assumptions and misconceptions by writing the details of our topic as they are, especially when we are dealing with informative essays. Exaggeration of details may lead our readers to misinformation and fake news, which is an issue we are trying to eradicate in the information age.

Ensuring consistency in using one tense throughout the summary avoids confusion to our reader, and also helps them to point out when was the summarized topic relevant in our history (whether if it is in the past or the present).

Our professor in Ethics 1 once told us, “make sure that you allot at least two to three days between your final draft and its revision ─ you’d be surprised by how many errors you’ve actually made throughout writing your paper.”

Revision and rewriting our write-ups are among the important steps in writing as it helps us see what errors must be fixed and what discussions need more improvement.

Experimenting with different writing styles is okay, but trying to stray away from the usual writing format and technique for the purpose of “standing out” may lead us rather to the worst of our mental health as a writer; thus, letting our thoughts, and our confidence, fall apart.

As a gentle reminder to all who are reading this, including my future self, never punish nor pressure yourself if you think your writing style is too basic.

Take good care of your mind and body, practice critical reading and writing, and focus more on your progress and the intentions behind writing your chosen topics.