Lint Removal – Compaction Shrinkage

Writer and editor Wayne Holmes gave a math lesson when he said that in the world of adjectives 1 + 1 = 1/2. What he meant was that for each additional use of an adjective in a sentence the overall effectiveness of the statement is diluted.

Bad example

Extreme, oppressive and unwanted heat hampered our journey to the Sahara.

Good example

The oppressive heat hampered our journey to the Sahara.

“I think my mistakes were somewhat common, relying on clichés and adjectives rather than clear, vivid writing.” – Dick Schaap

For the writer, ‘clear and vivid’ writing requires the intentional removal of literary clutter. When using an adjective, find the one that is stronger and use that singular adjective – send the rest home.

One skill you can use to tighten your writing is to take a paragraph and reduce it to its core elements.

Example

Bob sat heavily in his custom 1972 Fiat 124 Spider. He wished he could be happy for the journey he had to take, but thoughts from the past kept nagging at the back of his mind. He tuned into the radio at a classic rock station and reminded his friends that they loved their Fiat when it was new, but had long ago ventured into worlds of their own, leaving it alone to deal with its most recent loss. He reviewed the difficulties he had faced in recent weeks. There were nights at the office, missed dinner appointments, inattention, and ultimately a call telling her that it was all over.

This paragraph may stand on its own, however once you remove the redundancies and non-essentials, you will end up with the following.

Bob wished he could be happy, but the call that it was all over found him in the mood to reminisce.

The first example might be more colorful, but it was also full of disjointed clutter. In the context of the story, the Fiat probably won’t play a major role, its friends may never be mentioned again, and compiling composite details may not serve to further the story to any great extent. In the end, the paragraph is about Bob and lost love.

You will likely find a way to spice up the highly concentrated thought of the paragraph, but having an idea of ​​what is really important in the paragraph frees you up to make the final thought that much more powerful.