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The Economy of Words

© Dave Brandl

Thomas Jefferson once said, "No style of writing is so delightful as that which is all pith, which never omits a necessary word, nor uses an unnecessary one." Paraphrasing himself, he also said, "The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do."

I don't know about you, but I frequently find myself in the presence of those who not only talk far too long, but insist on repeating every point, over and over. They are seemingly under the impression that their message is better conveyed by the number of words they use.

Apparently, having never had to sit through their own speeches, they are unaware of their ad nauseum affect on an audience. Nor do they accurately judge their listeners, else they would realize that the intelligent ones get their message upon the first hearing, whereas some of those less intelligent will never get it, no matter how many times it gets repeated.

Nowhere is it more important to write clear, concise dialogue than in the performing arts. Scripts demand that the spoken word convey what it must, without conveying more than it should nor less than it ought. Plays, movies, and even industrial scripts base their very existence on the premise that the audience needs to clearly hear and understand what is happening, catch the subtleties and nuances of meaning, and continually move forward through new scenes, situations, and discovery.

Novels, on the other hand, allow the writer to produce prodigious prose and the reader to return to previously perused passages for explanation or recall. Not all novelists are this way, and indeed, action novels sometimes move at breakneck speeds. But to look at some of the classics, such as Dickens and Thoreau, one sees more of this style.

Stage plays and screenplays have a pre-determined time limit to take place, usually between 90 and 120 pages. Within that time, not only must the story be told, but so must everything vital be said. Industrial scripts similarly have their time constraints.

In any script, there are always a number of points that need to be conveyed. Therefore the careful and successful writer will need to look at, prioritize, and objectively consider:

• The critical points that must be presented
• Those places where critical points are merely reworded and may be omitted
• Less important points that may be omitted

Getting these in order will help determine what must stay and what can be cut. And in so doing, the writer can ensure focus on the significant portions that provide the foundation for the story being told.

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