“Write tight” may seem a simple instruction to the seasoned writer. Not so, for the beginning and even some intermediate writers. Clarifying the definition may help those writers feel more confident they are adhering to writer's guidelines. Read on and practice your skills with the writing exercises contained in the article.
Are you unclear on what the instruction “write tight” means? Writers are often instructed to write tight, however, an explanation of how to hone this skill often seems evasive. Perhaps the best definition of tightening an article is “cut it to the bone”. Eliminate the excess; eliminate the unnecessary.
Recognize and Eliminate Fluff and Redundancy
We sometimes go for overkill when writing descriptions. The dark blue suit could just as easily have been described as navy or indigo. The lady may have looked very smart in it, but neither the meaning of the sentence, nor the image given the reader will change if the word “very” is dropped.
Is “that” necessary? Most likely, it is not. Take notice of how many people use the word “that” in conversation, as well as in their writing. Does its inclusion enhance the sentence? See how many unnecessary words that you can remove from this very lengthy sentence that I am writing. Stop and read the last sentence over again. You could cut as many as 7 words. Three of them are “that” or “very”. None of them enhance the sentence in any way. Nor were they pointed out as errors in a spelling and grammar check. The end result would be, “See how many unnecessary words you can remove from this sentence.” You could also change the form of the sentence to eliminate an additional word, “How many unnecessary words can you remove from this sentence?” Hone this skill and meeting word count will become an easier process.
Avoid repeating yourself. One person wrote about a friend who was in a tight bind. Choose your preference. The friend was in a tight or he was in a bind. Stating he was in a tight bind is saying the same thing twice. It is repetitive. Mm hmm; did you catch my repetition in this paragraph?
Repetition may appear in the same paragraph or it may show up elsewhere in the article. If your article began with the fact you had a flat tire on your lawnmower and you are going to get it fixed, there is no need in saying, “I pulled up at the tire shop where I was getting my lawnmower tire fixed”, later in the article. That sentence could end with the word shop and the reader would still know why you are there.