Writers write too much

Yes, writers write way too much (including me). There are a number of reasons why. I’ll outline some below but first, how can I make such a claim? I can because I am a writer and a reader. It’s the reader that tells me we write too much. It’s the writer that tries to figure out why.

Love of it: Writers love to write. That’s why they write. This becomes a problem because we’re often self indulgent and very much enthralled with our own opinions. It is exacerbated by the web (where you write as much as you want for as long as you want) and the reality that there are few editors going over what is written and even fewer good editors.

Word count: In many cases, particularly with professional writing such as magazines, newspapers and so on, there is a word count imposed. One thousand words on a topic. It may well be, however, that what you have to say can be stated in a simple five word sentence. Word count demands that you dribble on for another 995 words.

This isn’t to say there shouldn’t be a word count. More often than not it prevents us from going on and on and on (because we love writing). It’s also a necessity because of how people read and the publishing format. It can simply be too labour intensive and costly to constantly design due to varying lengths.

Process: This is the interesting one and the one where an absence of a good editor really shows. More often than not writers preface what they actually have to say because that is how we get into what we are writing about. “I had been living in New York for ten years and had witnessed the seasons change in the pulsating city … blah blah blah.” After several paragraphs, even pages, you get to the point: you moved from New York to L.A.

The preface itself may not necessarily be superfluous (though it usually is), but it represents a writer’s viewpoint, not a reader’s. For the reader it’s a case of, “Why in the world am I reading this? What’s the point?” You have to keep reading before you ever get to the point, the one that may make the preface understandable.

I’ve seen this over and over and especially in my own writing. Before we get into the writing groove of our topic, we ramble on looking for our way in. That’s fine – it’s the process. But it isn’t fine if you make the reader go through it too.

The reason I’ve written this post, by the way, is because I came across a really good post yesterday that I never finished because the writer went on and on. What he had written could have been written in half the number of words or less.

This problem is evident in my own posts. I’ve written oodles. But how much of it was unnecessary? Quite a bit, I think.