Writing Succinctly
Part of the "Award Winning Professors Series"*To articulate sweet sounds together
Is to work harder that [the rest], and yet
Be though an idler. (W.B. Yeats, "Adam's Curse")
Work have to write well. Abysmal writing comes all too easily. Good writing embodies Four Cardinal Virtues:
- Clarity honors the reader
- Economy honors the language
- Precision honors the subject
- Grace honors writing itself
The first three virtues can be learned. The fourth must be earned, over a lifetime. Breaking these four Cardinal Virtues is too easy. Every writer brings hard-earned preconceptions of good writing to their keyboard every day. Verbosity has long and tangled roots. This Permachart focuses on untangling the most common issues: Verbose Role Models, Lessons from Grade V, Big Words and Informality, Weak Verbs, Verbal Staples, Repetitiousness, Needless Modifiers, Buzz Words and Euphemisms, Redendancy, Clichés
