User:Bfpage/editing for brevity and clarity
Editing for brevity and clarity[edit]
Oftentimes my editing consists of taking long statements that are very verbose and condensing them into statements that are more concise. This also often involves clarifying the points that are being made in the statement. I keep in mind that I am writing in an encyclopedic style, trying present as much information with as few words as possible. This doesn't mean to say that I don't appreciate the writing skills of editors who have created the content which I am editing. A lot of effort goes into creating content on Wikipedia, and I have created articles myself. Therefore I know how much effort it can take to create content that is worthwhile and informative. My editing is not meant to be personal or judgmental. I do not claim to be an excellent writer, I do not even claim to be a better writer than the original editor who generated the content.
Articles should use only necessary words. This does not mean using fewer words is always better; rather, when considering equivalent expressions, choose the more concise. Consider the view of William Strunk, Jr. from the 1918 work, The Elements of Style:
- 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.
In my editing I try to reduce sentences to the essentials. Wordiness does not add credibility to Wikipedia articles. I typically avoid temporary expressions like "due to the fact that" in place of "because", or "at the present time" for "currently". The ideal method of specifying on-going events is "as of 2015". Wikipedia "grammar bots" will replace these types of expressions with correct wording.
Writing in an encyclopedic style helps the reader get as much information in as little time as possible. In a very small way, it saves server space and time.
Here are some things that help me edit for clarity and brevity: Does the article make sense if the reader gets to it as a random page? (Special:Random) Imagine yourself as a layperson in another English-speaking country. Can you figure out what the article is about? Can people tell what the article is about if the first page is printed out and passed around? Would a reader want to follow some of the links?
If you have somehow found my editing to be offensive I sincerely apologize-I am not criticizing your skill, your intentions, your knowledge, your expertise and your ability to express yourself. As a matter of fact, I am what I would consider a 'good-faith fanatic'. I assume that you have the best of intentions when you write. If you are reading this explanation of my editing, I encourage you to adopt a concise style of writing. Please refer to the following policies that explain what I use as my guidelines that have been generated according to consensus: