{"id":6500,"date":"2018-07-02T17:00:19","date_gmt":"2018-07-03T00:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/?post_type=essay-writing-blog&p=6500"},"modified":"2020-08-02T07:17:30","modified_gmt":"2020-08-02T14:17:30","slug":"concise-writing-strong-essay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/concise-writing-strong-essay\/","title":{"rendered":"Concise Writing: How to Write a Strong Essay With Fewer Words"},"content":{"rendered":"

Less is more, they say. Which, to be honest, kind of bothers me because it’s inherently incorrect. Less most certainly is not more\u2014it is less.<\/p>\n

However, there are times when having less is better. So for the sake of accuracy, let\u2019s say this\u2014less is better…sometimes.<\/p>\n

So far I\u2019ve said practically nothing, and I feel better already, which I think proves my point.<\/p>\n

So when is<\/em> less better?<\/p>\n

Certainly it’s not better to have less money when it’s time to pay rent or to have less wine when spending the weekend at your brother-in-law Chad\u2019s house.<\/p>\n

However, when writing a strong essay, less can be better.<\/p>\n

Reading a concisely written essay<\/a>, with fewer words, is better than slogging through page after page of drivel.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\n
Less can be better\u2014a concise essay, with fewer words, is better than page after page of drivel.<\/a><\/div>\n

Click To Tweet<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

So let\u2019s learn about concise writing\u2014that is, how to write a strong essay with fewer words.<\/p>\n

What Is Concise Writing?<\/h2>\n

How you talk to a friend is different than the way you talk to your boss. And how you write a Facebook post should be different than how you write an essay in English class.<\/p>\n

However, sometimes one leaks into the other. It’s quite common for students to fill their essays with casual language written in a conversational tone<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The problem with conversation is that it\u2019s wordy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ahem. We speak using many unneeded words.<\/p>\n

Concise writing is that which makes a strong point using few words<\/a>. The idea is to rid your sentences of any unneeded words and structure them in the most effective way. This will make your writing more concise\u2014and therefore easier to read and digest.<\/p>\n

Write an Outline and Follow Your Thesis<\/h2>\n

The first step in writing a focused, concise essay is to stick to the script without meandering off into another subject. Well, I guess that\u2019s the second step because first you need a script.<\/p>\n

An outline<\/a> is an important tool in the writing process that students often skip. Don\u2019t do that. Seriously. You need this blueprint to help you stay on subject. Without it, you will have trouble being concise.<\/p>\n

So start your outline by creating a thesis statement<\/a> for your essay. This sentence is the main idea, or argument<\/a>, of your essay. Each section of your paper will address one part of your thesis.<\/p>\n

The outline allows you to examine how best to organize<\/a> your essay to prove your thesis.<\/p>\n

Writing concisely<\/a> starts by thinking about the best way to outline your essay<\/a> and then sticking to it<\/a> throughout the writing process.<\/p>\n\t

\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
Stuck on Your Essay?<\/div>\n\t\t\t
Check out thousands of example essays.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tYes! Show me examples.<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

Do a Close Edit<\/h2>\n

It’s quite all right for the first draft of your essay to be a bit wordy. It\u2019s important that you let your ideas flow without worrying too much about whether you’re writing concisely. It doesn’t have to be perfectly concise writing the first go-round.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why we revise<\/a>. And you must revise!<\/p>\n

So once you have written the first draft of your essay, I suggest you then do what I call a close edit<\/i>. A close edit involves carefully reading each sentence, looking at each word, and thinking of ways it could be rewritten more concisely.<\/p>\n

However, before doing a close edit, it’s important to know the common mistakes writers make and how you can edit them to make your writing more concise<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So here are a few ways in which you can make your writing more concise during the close-edit process.<\/p>\n

Use your active voice<\/h3>\n

The active voice<\/a> means that the subject of the sentence (usually the person) is doing something to an object. For example: \u201cJack mails the letter.\u201d<\/p>\n

The passive voice<\/a> is when the sentence is reordered so that the subject of the sentence is being acted upon. For example: \u201cThe letter was mailed by Jack.\u201d<\/p>\n

In almost all circumstances, the active voice is the way to go. It’s more concise.<\/p>\n

Avoid adjective and adverb abuse<\/h3>\n

Although adjectives and adverbs can seem like a good way to spice up your paper<\/a>, they often become overused, cluttering your writing.<\/p>\n

Mark Twain said, \u201cWhen you find an adjective, kill it.\u201d Well, that\u2019s a bit harsh, but you should be careful not to use too many. The same goes for adverbs.<\/p>\n

Avoid repetition<\/h3>\n

It’s common to find a statement written more than once in the same paper. Sometimes writers will say the same thing in different ways.<\/p>\n

For example: \u201cAn increased dropout rate leads to more crime. The crime rates have increased as more students have failed to finish high school.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no need to say it twice.<\/p>\n

Moreover, many writers seem to feel the need to reiterate things that were just stated in a previous paragraph.<\/p>\n

For example: \u201cNow that it has been established that an increase in dropouts leads to more crime, let\u2019s take a look at the dropout rates<\/a> around the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

There’s no need to repeat that information here. It just slows the flow of your essay.<\/p>\n

Improve your verb usage<\/h3>\n

Look for moments in your paper when the verbs can be improved. Avoid using verb phrases where you can use a stronger verb instead.<\/p>\n

For example: Instead of writing, \u201cThe temperature went down,\u201d you can write, \u201cThe temperature decreased.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also, instead of writing, \u201cJaundice is an indication of liver disease,\u201d you can write, \u201cJaundice indicates liver disease.\u201d<\/p>\n

Use a thesaurus and a dictionary<\/h3>\n

When we can\u2019t find the right word to express ourselves, we tend to get wordy as a way of working around it. Being concise means finding that right word<\/a>, so learn to use the thesaurus and dictionary when these moments pop up.<\/p>\n

You might write, \u201cThe politician explained the benefits of supporting her campaign.\u201d  However, you can make it more concise by writing, \u201cThe politician promoted her campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cut useless words<\/h3>\n

There are some pointless words in the English language that we tend to use a lot. Learn to avoid these in your writing.<\/p>\n

For example, don\u2019t write, \u201cThe judges love the way in which she dances,\u201d when you can write, \u201cThe judges love how she dances.\u201d<\/p>\n

And avoid using the words \u201creally\u201d and \u201cvery.\u201d They are truly pointless. There’s no reason to say \u201creally big\u201d or \u201cvery big\u201d when you can say \u201chuge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mark Twain again nailed it when he said, \u201cSubstitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very’; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Avoid redundancy<\/h3>\n

It’s common for people to write expressions like \u201cthe reason is because\u201d or \u201cthe reason why is.\u201d Some even get a little crazy and write “the reason why is because.” Don’t be these people.<\/p>\n

Some people argue that the above phrases are grammatically correct, but you should avoid these types of sticky phrases<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Instead, use the more concise phrase \u201cthe reason is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ditch the expletives<\/h3>\n

I don\u2019t mean certain four-letter words (though you should probably avoid those as well). Expletives<\/a> are words or phrases that are used as filler without adding any real value to the writing. So they’re pretty much the enemy of concise writing.<\/p>\n

For example: Instead of writing, \u201cThere are many scientists who believe,\u201d write, \u201cMany scientists believe.\u201d Avoid writing \u201cthere are.\u201d The same goes for \u201cthere is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also, don\u2019t write, \u201cIt is clear the stock market will crash,\u201d when you can simply write, \u201cThe stock market will crash.\u201d<\/p>\n\t

\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
Stuck on Your Essay?<\/div>\n\t\t\t
Check out thousands of example essays.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tYes! Show me examples.<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

Use an apostrophe<\/h3>\n

A simple way to make your writing clearer, more concise, and easier to read is by using the apostrophe.<\/p>\n

For example: \u201cThe judge\u2019s opinion\u201d is more concise than \u201cthe opinion of the judge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Combine sentences<\/h3>\n

While doing a close edit, look for opportunities to combine sentences<\/a>. You shouldn\u2019t overdo it, of course, but there will be times when two sentence can and should be rewritten into one.<\/p>\n

For example: \u201cSome people believe that improving mental health services is the key to stopping gun violence. Other people believe decreasing the number of guns is the key to stopping gun violence.\u201d<\/p>\n

That’s perfectly fine, but it’s better to write it as one sentence: \u201cWhile some people believe improving mental health services is the key to stopping gun violence<\/a>, others believe we must decrease the number of guns.\u201d<\/p>\n

Get to the point<\/h3>\n

Always keep your thesis<\/a> in mind. The point of your essay is to prove that one statement. There may be some details that seem interesting, but they shouldn’t be included unless they’re important to proving the point of your thesis.<\/p>\n

For example, you may think it sounds better to write, \u201cThe Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor<\/a> with a combination of torpedoes and bombers,\u201d than to simply write, \u201cThe Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, unless your thesis is specifically related to what the Japanese used to attack Pearl Harbor, the second sentence is more concise and to the point of your essay.<\/p>\n

All Part of the Process<\/h2>\n

This may seem like a lot to think about when you’re writing, but concise writing is just one step in the writing process<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As I mentioned briefly before, you shouldn\u2019t be too concerned with writing a perfectly concise first draft. Instead, the first draft is a chance to let your ideas flow naturally.<\/p>\n

The second and third drafts of your essay offer the chance to do a close edit and take out any and all fluff<\/a>. This is what revision is all about. And it’s an incredibly important part of the process.<\/p>\n

If you need help with it, I suggest you send your essay to one of the editors at Kibin<\/a>. They will ensure that your essay is strong and <\/i>concise.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Less is more, they say. Which, to be honest, kind of bothers me because it’s inherently incorrect. Less most certainly is not more\u2014it is less. However, there are times when having less is better. So for the sake of accuracy, let\u2019s say this\u2014less is better…sometimes. So far I\u2019ve said practically nothing, and I feel better … <\/p>\n

Read more<\/b> “Concise Writing: How to Write a Strong Essay With Fewer Words”<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":6678,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[160],"yoast_head":"\nConcise Writing: How to Write a Strong Essay with Fewer Words<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Tried of getting "too wordy" back as essay feedback? Learn the ins and outs of concise writing, and make every word count. In this post, you'll learn why writing concisely starts with an outline that helps you stick to your thesis, plus 11 tips on how to make your essay more concise by doing a close edit.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/concise-writing-strong-essay\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Concise Writing: How to Write a Strong Essay with Fewer Words\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Tried of getting "too wordy" back as essay feedback? Learn the ins and outs of concise writing, and make every word count. In this post, you'll learn why writing concisely starts with an outline that helps you stick to your thesis, plus 11 tips on how to make your essay more concise by doing a close edit.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/concise-writing-strong-essay\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Kibin Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-07-03T00:00:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-08-02T14:17:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/concisewriting.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"355\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jared\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jared\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/concise-writing-strong-essay\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/concise-writing-strong-essay\/\",\"name\":\"Concise Writing: How to Write a Strong Essay with Fewer Words\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2018-07-03T00:00:19+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-08-02T14:17:30+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2452b35ceb0a1888904eeb71284f3a13\"},\"description\":\"Tried of getting \\\"too wordy\\\" back as essay feedback? Learn the ins and outs of concise writing, and make every word count. In this post, you'll learn why writing concisely starts with an outline that helps you stick to your thesis, plus 11 tips on how to make your essay more concise by doing a close edit.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/concise-writing-strong-essay\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/\",\"name\":\"Kibin Blog\",\"description\":\"Creating Better Writers\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2452b35ceb0a1888904eeb71284f3a13\",\"name\":\"Jared\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/JaredMack-e1551551445915-100x100.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/JaredMack-e1551551445915-100x100.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Jared\"},\"description\":\"is a Kibin editor, a wanderer, and an ESL teacher. He grew up in a really small town in Missouri with his nose in a book and a pen in his hand.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/profile\/jaredmack\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/author\/jaredmack\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Concise Writing: How to Write a Strong Essay with Fewer Words","description":"Tried of getting \"too wordy\" back as essay feedback? Learn the ins and outs of concise writing, and make every word count. In this post, you'll learn why writing concisely starts with an outline that helps you stick to your thesis, plus 11 tips on how to make your essay more concise by doing a close edit.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/concise-writing-strong-essay\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Concise Writing: How to Write a Strong Essay with Fewer Words","og_description":"Tried of getting \"too wordy\" back as essay feedback? Learn the ins and outs of concise writing, and make every word count. In this post, you'll learn why writing concisely starts with an outline that helps you stick to your thesis, plus 11 tips on how to make your essay more concise by doing a close edit.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/concise-writing-strong-essay\/","og_site_name":"Kibin Blog","article_published_time":"2018-07-03T00:00:19+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-08-02T14:17:30+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":355,"url":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/concisewriting.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jared","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jared","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/concise-writing-strong-essay\/","url":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/concise-writing-strong-essay\/","name":"Concise Writing: How to Write a Strong Essay with Fewer Words","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2018-07-03T00:00:19+00:00","dateModified":"2020-08-02T14:17:30+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2452b35ceb0a1888904eeb71284f3a13"},"description":"Tried of getting \"too wordy\" back as essay feedback? Learn the ins and outs of concise writing, and make every word count. In this post, you'll learn why writing concisely starts with an outline that helps you stick to your thesis, plus 11 tips on how to make your essay more concise by doing a close edit.","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/concise-writing-strong-essay\/"]}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/","name":"Kibin Blog","description":"Creating Better Writers","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2452b35ceb0a1888904eeb71284f3a13","name":"Jared","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/JaredMack-e1551551445915-100x100.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/JaredMack-e1551551445915-100x100.jpg","caption":"Jared"},"description":"is a Kibin editor, a wanderer, and an ESL teacher. He grew up in a really small town in Missouri with his nose in a book and a pen in his hand.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/profile\/jaredmack"],"url":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/author\/jaredmack\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6500"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6500"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6500\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10723,"href":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6500\/revisions\/10723"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6678"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}