What you need to know about killing words for clarity, power and brevity.

1. by Patrick E. McLean
How to
KillA Word
patrickemclean.com

2. How to
KillA Word
by Patrick E. McLean
patrickemclean.com

3. How to
KillA Word
by Patrick E. McLean
patrickemclean.com

4. Ernest Hemingway, editing in Cuba circa 1940.

5. The first draft
of anything
is shit.
“
”
Ernest Hemingway

6. Mark Twain
If you catch
an adjective,
kill it.”
“

7. Mark Twain
If you catch
an adjective,
kill it.”
“
Revising down to the
bare essentials is
always a little like
murdering children,
but it must be done.”
“
Stephen King

8. Why do all these
writers
hate words so
much?

9. “If you catch an adjective, kill it.”
The business of writing,
rightly understood, is
largely a matter of
killing words.

10. “If you catch an adjective, kill it.”
The business of writing,
rightly understood, is
largely a matter of
killing words.

11. “If you catch an adjective, kill it.”
The business of writing,
rightly understood, is
largely a matter of
killing words.

12. “If you catch an adjective, kill it.”
It’s a sad fact of modern
existence that nobody
has enough attention. In
fact, some thought
leaders are referring to
this as the age of
distraction.

13. “If you catch an adjective, kill it.”
It’s a sad fact of modern
existence that nobody
has enough attention. In
fact, some thought
leaders are referring to
this as the age of
distraction.

14. “If you catch an adjective, kill it.”
It’s a sad fact of modern
existence that nobody
has enough attention. In
fact, some thought
leaders are referring to
this as the age of
distraction.

15. “If you catch an adjective, kill it.”
Each additional word you use
demands more of a reader’s
attention. While transitions and
style tricks are often nice, they
involve a ruthless and unforgiving
trade-off. Beyond a point, additional
words make it harder to get to your
point. Assuming you have one to
begin with.

16. “If you catch an adjective, kill it.”
Each additional word you use
demands more of a reader’s
attention. While transitions and
style tricks are often nice, they
involve a ruthless and unforgiving
trade-off. Beyond a point, additional
words make it harder to get to your
point. Assuming you have one to
begin with.

17. “If you catch an adjective, kill it.”
Each additional word you use
demands more of a reader’s
attention. While transitions and
style tricks are often nice, they
involve a ruthless and unforgiving
trade-off. Beyond a point, additional
words make it harder to get to your
point. Assuming you have one to
begin with.

18. “If you catch an adjective, kill it.”
Each additional word you use
demands more of a reader’s
attention. While transitions and
style tricks are often nice, they
involve a ruthless and unforgiving
trade-off. Beyond a point, additional
get to your point. Assuming you
have one to begin with.

19. I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide
or press an ear against its hive.
I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,
or walk inside the poem's room
and feel the walls for a light switch.
I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author's name on the
shore.
But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.
They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.
Introduction to Poetry by Billy Collins

20. If you are writing
anything other than
poetry...

21. I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide
or press an ear against its hive.
I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,
or walk inside the poem's room
and feel the walls for a light switch.
I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author's name on the
shore.
But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.
They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.
Introduction to Poetry by Billy Collins

22. I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author's name on the
shore.
But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.
They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.

23. When you edit, you
want to interrogate
each word.

24. When you edit, you
want to interrogate
each word.

25. When you edit, you
want to interrogate
each word.

26. If you find one that is
unclear, mumbles, or
otherwise doesn’t
have its story
straight...

27. If you find one that is
unclear, mumbles, or
otherwise doesn’t
have its story
straight...

28. If you find one that is
unclear,

29. Delete it with extreme
prejudice.

30. Delete it with extreme
prejudice.

31. Delete it without further ado.

32. Delete it without further ado.

33. Kill it.

34. Like this:

35. However, some chairs are
more comfortable than
others. In fact, some chairs
are downright uncomfortable.
Some have itchy fabrics,
uncomfortable seat bottoms,
and awkward side arms. They
can be excessively big or
obnoxiously small.

36. However, some chairs are
more comfortable than
others. In fact, some chairs
are downright uncomfortable.
Some have itchy fabrics,
uncomfortable seat bottoms,
and awkward side arms. They
can be excessively big or
obnoxiously small.

37. However, some chairs are
more comfortable than
others. In fact, some chairs
are downright uncomfortable.
Some have itchy fabrics,
uncomfortable seat bottoms,
and awkward side arms. They
can be excessively big or
obnoxiously small.

38. Some chairs are downright
uncomfortable. They can
have itchy fabric,
uncomfortable seat bottoms
or awkward side arms. They
can be too big or too small.

39. That’s still not great
prose. But it’s
stronger, faster,
better.

40. That’s still not great
prose. But it’s
stronger, faster,
better.

41. That’s still not great
prose. But it’s
stronger, faster,
better.

42. There is much conversation in
dog circles about why the
American Pit Bull Terrier is only
recognized by the United Kennel
Club and not the AKC and why
some dogs are dual registered in
both kennel clubs.

43. There is much conversation in
dog circles about why the
American Pit Bull Terrier is only
recognized by the United Kennel
Club and not the AKC and why
some dogs are dual registered in
both kennel clubs.

44. There is much conversation in
dog circles about why the
American Pit Bull Terrier is only
recognized by the United Kennel
Club and not the AKC and why
some dogs are dual registered in
both kennel clubs.

45. Why is the American Pit Bull
Terrier recognized by the United
Kennel Club but not the
American Kennel Club?

46. Any other questions
or nuances of breed
classification go in
additional
sentences. This
question seems to
be a better way to
begin the paragraph.

47. Any other questions
or nuances of breed
classification go in
additional
sentences. This
question seems to
be a better way to
begin the paragraph.

48. Any other questions
or nuances of breed
classification go in
additional
sentences. This
question seems to
be a better way to
begin the paragraph.

49. Any other questions
or nuances of breed
classification go in
additional
sentences. This
question is seems to
be a better way to
begin the paragraph.

50. When looking at your model week
and your sales process, you have
to ask yourself how that activity is
going to contribute to bringing
you closer to your goals. A good
sales manager would keep you
from rationalizing. They would
keep you honest and prevent you
from putting more emphasis on
activities that you like over
activities that actually generate
the right outcomes.

51. When looking at your model week
and your sales process, you have
to ask yourself how that activity is
going to contribute to bringing
you closer to your goals. A good
sales manager would keep you
from rationalizing. They would
keep you honest and prevent you
from putting more emphasis on
activities that you like over
activities that actually generate
the right outcomes.

52. When looking at your model week
and your sales process, you have
to ask yourself how that activity is
going to contribute to bringing
you closer to your goals. A good
sales manager would keep you
from rationalizing. They would
keep you honest and prevent you
from putting more emphasis on
activities that you like over
activities that actually generate
the right outcomes.

53. Still too damn long.

54. Still too damn long.

55. Still too damn long.

56. Still too damn long.

57. Still too damn long.
Still too (I’ll keep working.)
long.

58. When looking at your model week
and your sales process, you have
to ask yourself how that activity is
going to contribute to bringing
you closer to your goals. A good
sales manager would keep you
from rationalizing. They would
keep you honest and prevent you
from putting more emphasis on
activities that you like over
activities that actually generate
the right outcomes.

59. When looking at your model week
and your sales process, you have
to ask yourself how each activity
will contribute to move you
closer to your goals. A good sales
manager would keep you from
rationalizing. They would keep
you honest and prevent you from
wasting time on activities that
won’t get you where you need to
go.

60. When looking at your model
week, ask how each activity will
move you closer to your goals. A
good sales manager would
prevent you from wasting time
on activities that won’t get you
where you need to go.

61. And there’s still
more that could be
done.

62. And there’s still
more that could be
done.

63. And there’s still
more that could be
done.

64. “If you catch an adjective, kill it.”It’s not always so
complicated.

65. You can instantly and
dramatically improve your blog
writing skills and immediately
explode your profits and
skyrocket your online success
by following the spectacular,
simple, and practical tips found
in this groundbreaking new free
blog post.

66. You can instantly and
dramatically improve your blog
writing skills and immediately
explode your profits and
skyrocket your online success
by following the spectacular,
simple, and practical tips found
in this groundbreaking new free
blog post.

67. “If you catch an adjective, kill it.”

68. “If you catch an adjective, kill it.”Sometimes you get to
kill all the words.

69. “If you catch an adjective, kill it.”
:-)

70. “If you catch an adjective, kill it.”
How to Start the
Slaughter
1. Read it out loud.
2. Cross out all the adjectives and
adverbs.
3. Read it out loud again.
4. Rewrite so it makes sense.

71. I am more suspicious
of adjectives than at
any other time in all
my born days.”
Carl Sandburg, aged 81
“

72. Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should
contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no
unnecessary sentences, for the same reason
that a drawing should have no unnecessary
lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This
requires not that the writer make all his
sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and
treat his subjects only in outline, but that every
word tell.
Omit Needless Words
William Strunk and E.B. White

73. Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should
contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no
unnecessary sentences, for the same reason
that a drawing should have no unnecessary
lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This
requires not that the writer make all his
sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and
treat his subjects only in outline, but that every
word tell.
Omit Needless Words
William Strunk and E.B. White

74. Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should
contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no
unnecessary sentences, for the same reason
that a drawing should have no unnecessary
lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This
requires not that the writer make all his
sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and
treat his subjects only in outline, but that every
word tell.
Omit Needless Words
William Strunk and E.B. White

75. There’s no sentence that’s too
short in the eyes of God.”
William Zinnser
“

76. Be precise in use of words,
and expect precision of
others.
Watch for error,
even in Holy Scripture”
Pierre Abelard
“

77. If you really liked this, you can
find the free “How to Kill a
Word” course at http://
www.patrickemclean.com/
how-to-kill-a-word/

78. If you really liked this, you can
find the free “How to Kill a
Word” course at http://
www.patrickemclean.com/
how-to-kill-a-word/

79. If you really liked this, you can
find the free “How to Kill a
Word” course at http://
www.patrickemclean.com/
how-to-kill-a-word/

80. If you really liked this, you can
Free “How to Kill a Word”
course:
patrickemclean.com/how-to-
kill-a-word/

81. This work made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License