I wrote this epic post. I gathered facts, sourced related images and created moments of high drama. It even had sound effects.
Then I deleted 85% of it.
Once I got off my sassy horse and actually read what I was fast beginning to believe was my magnum opus, I saw that it stank like rotten meat. (The whole sad affair is retold here.)
So I axed it. 717 words of it, to be exact.
And therein lies the secret to great writing: the DELETE button.
Make friends with it. No, make love to it. Massage it by candlelight on cool summer nights.
When you find yourself in the throes of the deepest, most penetrating moments of truth – that’s when you get really busy with it. Brevity in action.
Great writing is about using words with great economy. (Tweet it)
(And that goes for your sales pages, bio, UVPs and anything else you thought was exempt. There are no exemptions. Not even for your wedding vows.)
If this were your blog post, which paragraph would you delete? Go on. I can take it.
T