NIL 1 - Concise Writing. What is it?

Concise Writing. What is it?

People who have read many of my critiques will know what I'm about to say. I define concise writing as when the writer says as much as possible in the fewest possible words. Some people think this is a little vague. I think it must be vague. Only the writer of a story truly knows what can be said when. Editors can only make assumptions.

The actual definition of concise isn't much different from mine: marked by the use of few words to convey much information or meaning.

I believe it is key to take note of "possible" in my definition. This is where I have gotten into debates with some writers. I am not saying a writer should cut and trim their prose until only the absolute minimum remains. Doing that kills creativity and some of a writer's most beautiful prose. What I mean by concise is to not let a story get fat with no reason. A story should be athletically trim, not emaciated or obese. There is a happy medium to maintain.

Learning that medium is the entire reason behind writing rules.

Let me take a random example from Robert Jordan's A Knife of Dreams because it has the misfortune of being within my reach when I write this.

"Nisao ducked into the tent, the light of saidar around her winking out as she did so. In the brief instant before the tent-flap fell shut, Sarin, her bald-headed stump of a Warder, was visible outside, a hand resting on his sword hilt and his head swiveling, plainly standing guard."

Though I hesitate to mess with Jordan's prose, this is how I would rewrite this paragraph to be more concise. Being concise does not mean you have to abandon beauty or information. It is the task of choosing what beauty to detail and when you offer particular information.

"Nisao ducked into the tent as the light of saidar around her winked out of existence. In the brief moment before the tent-flap fell shut, she saw her Warder, Sarin, standing guard outside. His hand rested on his sword hilt and his bald head scanned the area."

Obviously, we have two completely different writing styles, but notice how I chose where to put information. Every word should convey something.

Please let me make another point. If you try to write concisely on your first draft, your writing will sound as flat as Kansas. Brevity is something gained upon editing. Brandon Sanderson once said for every hour he writes, he spends three hours editing. Concise writing is edited writing. You cannot know what information to move or cut if you have not even written it. Write your first draft and then edit.

You will notice however that the more you make brevity into consideration, the more you naturally produce it and it begins to become a part of your style. This is good, but don't let that overly affect your first draft. The first draft is supposed to be bad, a thing created with abandon. That is what you want because then you can cut and tear it apart freely.

Now go edit something.

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What do you think? What is your definition of concise writing? What writers do you consider concise?