VijayWrites #151
Welcome to VijayWrites—where you’ll find inspiration, tips, and ideas to help you write better, master the art of copywriting, and make a career out of your words.
Many people knew their writing was too wordy. They could feel it. But when asked to cut the fluff, they weren’t sure what to remove or how to make their writing tighter without losing meaning.
And that’s the real challenge.
Cutting words isn’t just about making sentences shorter. It’s about making them sharper, clearer, and easier to read.
Let’s take a weak, wordy paragraph and improve it step by step.
The Problem: A Wordy Paragraph
Here’s a typical example of fluffy writing:
"When it comes to writing, one of the things that is most important to keep in mind is that being clear and concise is something that is crucial if you want to make sure that your audience actually understands the message you are trying to communicate."
It’s long-winded, repetitive, and hard to read.
Now, let’s fix it.
Step 1: Remove Unnecessary Words
Many words in this sentence add zero value.
Let’s strip them out:
Before:
"When it comes to writing, one of the things that is most important to keep in mind is that being clear and concise is something that is crucial if you want to make sure that your audience actually understands the message you are trying to communicate."
After:
"Clarity and conciseness are crucial for getting your message across."
Same meaning. Fewer words.
Step 2: Get Rid of Empty Phrases
Some phrases sound formal but add nothing to the sentence.
Examples:
"When it comes to writing" → Just say "In writing"
"One of the things that is most important" → Just say "One of the most important things"
"Make sure that" → Just say "Ensure"
If a phrase doesn’t add clarity or meaning, cut it.
Step 3: Avoid Over-Explaining
Fluffy writing often over-explains the obvious.
"Your writing needs to be clear so that your audience can understand it."
Well, of course. That’s the point of writing.
A tighter version:
"Your writing needs to be clear."
Readers can fill in the blanks. You don’t need to spell everything out.
Step 4: Replace Weak Verbs and Phrases
Fluffy writing often relies on weak verbs and wordy phrases.
Examples:
"Take into consideration" → "Consider"
"In order to" → "To"
"It is important to note that" → "Note that"
Compare these:
Fluffy:
"In order to improve your writing, it is important to note that you should try to use stronger verbs."
Tighter:
"To improve your writing, use stronger verbs."
Shorter. Stronger. Easier to read.
Final Transformation: Before & After
We started with this:
"When it comes to writing, one of the things that is most important to keep in mind is that being clear and concise is something that is crucial if you want to make sure that your audience actually understands the message you are trying to communicate."
After cutting fluff:
"Clarity and conciseness are crucial for getting your message across."
It says the same thing in a fraction of the words.
Your Turn
Take a piece of your writing and look for fluff. Remove empty phrases. Cut unnecessary words. Replace weak verbs.
See how much tighter and clearer it becomes.
And if you’re up for it, share your before-and-after. Would love to see the difference.