|
Freelance
Writers: Cut the Clutter and Make Your Writing More Profitable
Updated:
Fillers
are short written pieces and because they comprise just a hundred or
at most a few hundred words, the writer must ensure every single
word has a place in his short manuscript. Clutter is a big no-no in
short written pieces which can fetch several dollars for every word
in the manuscript – but only if those words are essential to the
written piece. If they don’t have a place, they’re regarded as
clutter – and clutter is always removed before the filler gets
published. If that is the piece ever gets published at all because
editors simply hate clutter and will usually reject a short written
piece rather than remove the excess wordage themselves. In short,
clutter means you don’t get paid!
Ways to cut down on clutter
include:
* Make sure your work starts at the very beginning, where the action
is. Avoid any preamble and make your opening pararaph as tight and
as interesting as possible.
* Check link phrases to make sure they lead the reader effortlessly
from one sentence or paragraph to another. Watch out for jerky
transitions and look for better words or phrases to replace them.
* Go through your work with a highlighter pen, marking essential
points. Ask yourself whether the remainder could be deleted without
reducing the impact or meaning of your work.
* Look out for cumbersome and jerky words, cut down on clichés. Look
for other words to replace ‘favourite’ words which all writers have
and which ten to make their work boring and stale. A good thesaurus
or dictionary will repay your investment many times over.
When you think your filler is as good and concise as you can get it,
put it aside for a few days before reading it afresh and looking for
errors and ambiguities, look also for better words and ways to
express certain points. Make whatever amendments are necessary and,
if time allows, reread your manuscript a few days later. Continue
this process until you are entirely satisfied with your finished
piece. Then submit it to your target publication.
Avril
Harper is a highly successful freelance writer and the author of
How to Be a Five Minute
Writer
LINKS
PRIVACY
|
|
