Improve Your Writing with a 3-Word Mantra

Most people can improve their writing at the word and sentence level if they keep a simple, 3-word mantra in mind at all times: Precise, concise, and varied. But what do these words mean and how can you write in this way?

To explain it in a single sentence, if your writing is precise, concise, and varied, you are using language that expresses exactly what you want to say (= precise) with as few words as possible (= concise) while using a varied vocabulary and sentence structure (= varied).

Let’s break this mantra down some more.

Precise

Meaning: “exactly or sharply defined or stated” (Merriam-Webster)

To write precisely, you must avoid language that is vague or ambiguous. Precision, however, requires practice, because we often speak or write in ways that lack specificity.

Some suggestions:

When referring to things or ideas by using pronouns (this, that, these, those), specify what you are pointing to (this study, these findings).
Avoid approximations of quantity (“quite a large part”, “practically all”).
Don’t use vague run-on expressions (“etc.”, “and so on”). Instead, use “including”, “e.g.,” or “such as” and give no more than three examples.
Example: “We have a constant battle against garden pests such as slugs, snails, greenfly, blackfly, etc.” (example source) ➔ “We have a constant battle against garden pests such as slugs, snails, and greenfly.”

Concise

Meaning: “marked by brevity of expression or statement: free from all elaboration and superfluous detail” (Merriam Webster)

For your writing to be concise, you need to eliminate any words or phrases that are superfluous. Question every single word on the page by asking yourself, “Do I really need it? Can I write this sentence (or sentence part) in a more concise way?” Expect to do several revisions as writing concisely is not easy.

Some suggestions:

Check for common expressions that say the same thing twice, e.g., “new innovations” (= innovations), “surrounded on all sides” (= surrounded).
Shorten prepositional phrases, e.g., “during the course of” = “during”, “in view of the fact that” = “because”, “in order to” = “to.”
Avoid what I call “writer’s commentary,” i.e., expressions that are often used as transitions but are rarely, if ever, needed. Examples of writer’s commentary include “in this passage one can see”, “it can be deduced,” and “we can understand that.” Instead, just state your point.

Bottom line: If you can make a sentence shorter without any change in what you want to say, do so! (Or rather: If you can shorten a sentence without changing what you want to say, do so!)

Varied

Meaning: “incorporating a number of different types or elements; showing variation or variety” (Apple Dictionary)

The way you write your assignments should be varied, whereas ‘varied’ refers to both the word choice and the construction of sentences. Let’s examine this criterion some more:

Varied word choice: Use a wide range of words that express exactly what you want to say. Avoid repeating words, particularly within the same or adjacent sentences, or even within the same paragraph.

Keep in mind that repetition is about sound and not only exact word matches. A reader will experience two uses of “transmit” as repetitive, but also “transmit” and “transfer.”

You can use synonyms to achieve a varied word choice, however, you should not force them. Some words – specialist terminology, for example – cannot be replaced. Instead, reduce the number of times you reuse these terms through effective sentence structuring.

Varied sentence structure: Variation should also be evident in your syntax. If every sentence in a text has the same kind of underlying structure, it will weaken your writing style. Use a mixture of short and long sentences, sentences that contain subclauses and/or complement clauses, and others that don’t. For example, if every other sentence in a paragraph starts with a conjunctive adverb (furthermore, therefore, similarly, consequently), it will quickly feel repetitive.

Keep Practicing

These are only a few suggestions on how to write in a precise, concise, and varied manner – I hope to write a more comprehensive guide on the topic with practice examples at some point in the future. In the meantime, remember that improving your writing is not something you do overnight. You will get better at using the techniques suggested here the more you try them. Just do your best to adhere to the simple, 3-word mantra: precise, concise, and varied!