away with words

Posted on by wally metts

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… for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. (Ecclesiastes 5:2 ESV)

I want to write more. And I want to write less. So I will write shorter blog post more frequently. It’s a Twitter world, and while there is a place for long-form writing, there is a place too for well-crafted smaller bits.

I’ve never been a fan of being wordy. As Pascal said: “I’m sorry this letter is so long, but I lacked the time to make it shorter.” So this school year I’m going to take the time to see what I can say in 250 words or less. For ten years, my blog post have been 500 to 600 words. So bear with me and let me know what you think. Can I write less with the same or more effect?

Roy Peter Clark has argued that professionals should approach a tweet with the same care they might approach any other writing. In an interview with Time he says, ”When I’ve failed to do it, I’ve always regretted it, because it results in something awkward or upside-down or worse.”

So Clark has a new book on the subject. He believes shorter writing opens avenues for creativity. “These short forms of writing are natural containers for humor but also for surprising things like very short poems, for prayers, for epigrams. All of these forms are revived by the existence of these new media platforms,” he explains.

We’ll see.

(249 words)

Published by wally metts

Wally Metts is the daysman. He is a professor of English and communication at Spring Arbor University and co-pastors Falling Waters Bible Church. The father of four adult children, he and his wife Katie raise barn cats on 20 acres in Horton, Michigan. His grandchildren call him Santa.

11 thoughts on “away with words”

  1. Hmmm Dr. Metts. My blog posts too have run about 500-600 words. . . possibly a function of the 500-word requirement for initial posts to the discussion board in many of my SAU MCOM online courses. I’m wondering if I should take on your 250-word challenge to be just as effective with half the verbiage. Precis prose and Haiku poetry demonstrate that “less can be more” . . . but I wasn’t very good at those concise forms in high school.

    I’ll enjoy seeing you post more often.

    Blessings,
    Linda 🙂

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