In J-school, we wrote within strict limits. Headlines had to be a certain number of points wide, paragraphs a certain number of words long. I grew to love those limitations, which challenged me to squeeze maximum meaning into a small space. As the years go by, I find myself in a solid habit of writing to length. It’s part of my organizational strategy now: Receive an assignment to write 600 words on a topic. Research article and create an outline of sections. Assign each section a rough word count. Write the piece to length. Voila: Word count is met, client is happy, I’m happy. I almost never go significantly under or over, and when I do, it’s for special circumstances - and then, I’ll call the client and discuss our options. Business-wise, I think this is a fine approach to take. But creatively, I’m wondering if it’s a little stifling. Would it hurt me to just write something once in a while, not thinking about length, and then slicing and dicing later? I’m considering it. How about you? Do you work well within limitations, or do you roam free and then rein yourself in later? I’d love to hear your creative style.
Comments:
4 Comments posted on "Theme of the week: Brevity"
Drew on November 29th, 2007 at 9:11 am #
I always write more than I need to, and then I scale it back. You can churn up some interesting things if you allow yourself to chase a few seemingly pointless thoughts down rabbit holes. It’s a page straight out of Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones — turn off the internal editor and just write. Let it be crap; don’t require perfection out of every sentence as it pops onto the page. Once you’ve got a ton of copy in front of you, start finding the good stuff and throw out the crap.
Chris Benevich on November 29th, 2007 at 4:15 pm #
J., I’m going to take a different tack on this. First, writing to spec/wc never hurt anyone. Hell, Shakespeare wrote in iambic pentameter and look at the creative genius in that strict format. There’s room for exploration within any template. More importantly, you’re implying you feel stifled. There’s your answer right there. For me, limitations vs. roaming free are both approaches/tools. I apply them as appropriate to everything I do, not just writing. For biz writing, at the least, I always roam free when examining specs and in the brainstorming stage but move into the guidelines of the project to hit it. Check out my recent blog post at Litterateur for more thoughts on the creative side. You’re exploring. Keep it up.
Arnie Bernstein on November 30th, 2007 at 8:52 pm #
I always follow rule #17 of Strunk & White: “Omit needless words”
Rickey Gold on December 1st, 2007 at 6:05 pm #
I used to write to spec as well. I also edited as I went along (waste of time). Also limits the free flow of ideas. Now, unless I’m on a tight deadline, I prefer to just sort of throw it up and then go back and edit. And like Arnie, my writing style is “keep it lean”. I think all the new technology and the glut of marketing messages that bombard us make concise writing a necessity. Post a comment
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