“Write tight!” We hear this all the time. So is tight writing our ultimate goal? Dwight Swain would say no. Brevity is a good thing, but not the main point. Okay then, what is the heart of the issue when it comes to writing a strong copy?
Vivid Writing.
What is vivid writing?
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Sharpness. Words that make a story come alive.
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How do we create it?
There are lots of ways. Usually, with brevity (hence, where the “write tight” probably came from). But not always. Here are just a few tips from Dwight Swain:
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Meticulous Word Choice: You set the mood with every word you choose. One word might elicit melancholy, while a different word might elicit excitement. Be very intentional about each word. Make each word work hard.
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Use Pictorial Nouns: nouns that are specific, concrete, and definitive
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The more specific, concrete, and definitive your nouns, the more vivid
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Examples:
Ford Mustang vs. car
bungalow vs. house
Boeing 777 vs. jet
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Use Active Verbs: verbs that show something happening
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As much as possible, nix the “to be” verbs.
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Example:
The boy boy was tapping his pencil vs. The boy tapped his pencil.
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As much as possible, nix past perfect tense.
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A paragraph full of “hads” is a wide path toward distancing your reader and ruining the vividness you worked so hard to create.
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Go easy on the Adverbs: a word that describes a verb
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These -ly words are proof that vividness outranks brevity
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Example:
Excitedly, Nala stood. vs. Nala sprang from her chair like a tightly wound Jack-in-the Box.
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Which sentence is shorter? Which sentence is more vivid? Which sentence is better writing? Notice, the second sentence actually has an -ly word. But I felt it was justified since tightly adds vividness to the sentence. Just goes to show, these aren’t hard and fast rules.
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Always, always, always strive for vividness when you are writing.
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Question to Ponder: Don’t agree? Why not? What else, besides vividness, pulls a reader into the story?