Cut it in half: 3 ways to strengthen your writing

Eliminate redundancies, substitute potent words for tepid phrasing, and pinpoint your focus as you rewrite.

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This article originally ran in 2019 and is part of our annual countdown of the most-viewed stories from PR Daily.

You’ve filled your Word.doc with brilliance, and it’s time to hit the publish button.

Not so fast. You’re skipping the crucial step: editing. Stringent editing will strengthen your writing.

Check your word count, and cut it in half. That’s right, in half.

You’ll probably find—if you look carefully—that you can make your key point(s) in half the words.

Imagine you’re trimming the bone, gristle and fat, retaining the meat. There’s nothing wrong with “butchering copy” in this way.

Here are three methods:

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