Verbosity: Common In Speech, Deadly In Writing
Often, in conversation, the average person uses an excess amount of words to explain his or her thought. We can easily over-do it with redundant phrases and not even notice. But in everyday conversations we are forgiven. No one cares how much you restate your idea in a different package of adjectives (unless you continue for a very long time!). The problem comes when we sit down to write.
Many of us write how we speak. It is a natural way to write, speaking from the heart. However, when we are writing formally our audience is much less likely to be as forgiving as they would if we were speaking. Just think about it: how many times have you read something and silently wondered “will this writer ever get to the point?’
Professional papers should be a collection of ideas, each following another. In writing classes students are taught to identify a thesis statement in each paragraph of an essay. This can be very useful when writing, as it causes the writer to focus on the point of that part of the essay. When you do this, all that is left to do is to cut away the excess words on your page. Decide what you want to keep and what you can do without. It can be hard to let go of pieces of your work sometimes, but it is worth it!
When writing it is important to keep a watchful eye on your words. Verbosity is not often forgiven, and can easily discourage readers from finishing whatever they are reading. So keep it simple, and make it your own.