Word Count and Clarity of Purpose

Fellow writer and blogger, Lori Widmer, has written a good post on word counts of all things. She offers sound advice, like checking for places where you’ve drifted from the original assignment, going back to the original assignment, outlining, and starting all over.

Any and all of that will work. So will writing a 10 word purpose for the piece, a technique I often use for short and long words. Basically, you write a sentence like this: “The purpose of this work is to: (ten words or less.)” If I can’t get it down to 10 words I know I’m not clear on either the assignment or the audience or both.

You might want to read: Your Writing Project Needs a Purpose Statement which details this process.

Write well and often,

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