The Short and Sweet of It

<p>How do we say more with less? Can short simple words make what we write so clear that the reader gets it? Or will it remind them of reading a child’s board book?</p><p>The truth is short words bring power because they are easy to read easy to grasp and easy to recall. For instance:</p><p>Once upon a time…<br />It was the best of times it was the worst of times…. (A Tale of Two Cities)<br />Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. (Rebecca)<br />Marley was dead to begin with. (A Christmas Carol)<br />If you build it they will come. (Field of Dreams)<br />To be or not to be… (Shakespeare)<br />Seize the day!<br />I love you.<br />And so it goes.</p><p>In this book the third in the Short and Sweet series you’ll find a collection of fiction non-fiction and poetry on a variety of topics. They have two things in common: Each is about something that matters deeply to the writer and with few exceptions (listed in the Introduction) each is written using only one-syllable words or words of fewer than six letters.</p><p>If you’ve always thought writers have to use long words to keep readers engaged discover why it’s often a great idea to keep it Short and Sweet.</p><p> </p>