22.7 Wordiness Reduction

Wordiness reduction is the editing practice of identifying and removing words, phrases, and constructions that add length to a sentence without adding meaning, so that the remaining prose expresses the same content with fewer words and less friction for the reader. It is one of the most consistently applied techniques in line editing, based on the principle that most first-draft prose contains more words than its content actually requires.

Why Wordiness Is Treated as a Default Draft Condition

First-draft prose is generally written for the purpose of getting an idea onto the page, not for maximum economy, and writers commonly hedge, qualify, and restate ideas during drafting as a byproduct of thinking through a scene in real time. Because of this, wordiness reduction is applied broadly during editing rather than only to sentences that seem obviously bloated; the working assumption is that most sentences can be tightened at least somewhat, and the editing task is to find where that tightening improves the sentence without removing meaning or voice.

Common Sources of Wordiness

Redundant pairs and restatement. Phrases that say the same thing twice, such as "past history," "each and every," or "basic fundamentals," add length without adding information, since one of the two words already implies the other.

Throat-clearing openers. Introductory phrases such as "it is important to note that," "the fact of the matter is," or "in order to" delay the actual content of a sentence and can typically be removed entirely, with the sentence beginning directly at its substantive content, without loss of meaning.

Unnecessary qualifiers and intensifiers. Words like "very," "really," "quite," "somewhat," and "rather" are frequently added out of habit to strengthen a description but often weaken it instead, since a precise word choice communicates the intended degree more effectively than a vague word paired with an intensifier — "furious" carries more than "very angry."

Buried verbs turned into noun phrases. Constructions such as "made a decision" instead of "decided," or "conducted an investigation into" instead of "investigated," convert a direct verb into a longer noun phrase requiring a weaker supporting verb, adding words while reducing the sentence's directness.

Excess prepositional phrases. Strings of prepositional phrases stacked in sequence — "the color of the surface of the door of the cabinet" — can often be compressed into a shorter possessive or compound construction without losing the relationship being described.

Filter words. Phrases such as "she saw that," "he noticed," or "she realized" placed before a description insert an unnecessary layer of perception between the reader and the thing being perceived; removing the filter and stating the observation directly usually tightens the sentence while keeping the reader closer to the point-of-view character's immediate experience.

Over-explaining. Restating in narration something already made clear through dialogue or action — describing a character as angry immediately after they slam a door and shout — adds words that repeat information the reader has already received, rather than adding new information.

Techniques for Reducing Wordiness

The removal test. For a given word or phrase, asking whether the sentence retains its full meaning after that word or phrase is deleted is a direct way to identify candidates for cutting; if nothing is lost, the word was not carrying weight and can be removed.

Converting passive and nominal constructions to active verbs. Rewriting a sentence so that its main action is expressed by a direct verb, rather than a noun paired with a weaker verb or a passive construction, generally shortens the sentence while making it more direct.

Searching for known culprits. Because certain words and phrases are disproportionately responsible for wordiness — "very," "just," "that," "in order to," "there was/were" constructions — a targeted search through a manuscript for these specific terms is a common and efficient technique, since each occurrence can be evaluated individually for whether it is load-bearing or removable.

Combining related sentences. Two short sentences that each restate part of the same idea, or that are connected by an implied but unstated relationship, can sometimes be combined into a single tighter sentence, removing the repeated structural elements that appeared in both.

The Limits of Wordiness Reduction

Wordiness reduction is not an argument for uniformly short sentences or minimalist prose throughout a manuscript. Some repetition and expansiveness serve a stylistic or rhythmic purpose — building tension through accumulation, capturing a character's rambling internal voice, or slowing pacing deliberately in a reflective passage — and cutting words in those instances would remove an intended effect rather than an error. Effective wordiness reduction targets words that add length without adding meaning, rhythm, or voice, leaving in place any repetition or expansiveness that is doing deliberate work within the sentence.