Write it short, then cut

One of the writing projects I've been working on is a museum display. It's reminded me of the importance of concise writing-- and the effort involved in engaging readers while being brief. If there is one thing that holds true among busy museum audiences, it's this: they are not going to spend much time reading long paragraphs of text.

Leisure time is precious. Attention spans are short. Whether it's an audio tour or an exhibit panel, readers want to learn something new, and then they want to move on. For content creators, this means more creativity up front and more editing through the process. Yes, writing short takes longer. But your audiences appreciate it.

Shorter, more concise messages aren't limited to displays. It's a good rule for print projects, press releases and most marketing or business writing. Jim Estill offers four basic tips over at Copyblogger this week. Check them out.

I'll add two more:

Don't be afraid of conjuctions. Conversational writing may mean starting sentences with "and" and "but". It's not always appropriate to do this, but in many places, it's just fine.

Once you've edited, then edit some more. Give your piece a day-- or even a few hours-- to sit and I guarantee that you will find beneficial changes. Try it.