Super-edgy, counter-intuitive writing advice from some guy you never heard of.
I came across this meme last week. It’s a most exemplary example of why one shouldn’t object to wordiness for the sake of objecting to wordiness. Sometimes you need repetition and rhythm to bring the drama:
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| From Cheerful Nihilism’s Facebook page. |
It helps to read this style as a genre unto itself and just go with it. Same deal with Shakespeare. Spend enough time in his neighborhood and you’ll pick up the language.
Bottom line takeaway, tl;dr: William Strunk’s dictum was to omit needless words. The trick is to find the sweet spot between euphony and economy.
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