Homework assignment part three: Be a better writer

I used to work with a 6pm producer who was very good at her job. But when it came to asking for extra time, she often took a hard line. One time I told her my package ran 1:30 when it actually ran 1:32 and I heard about it the next day. "Tatano, if your package is one second over, I swear I'm gonna rip your throat out!" (I think I was five seconds under that day.)

Which brings us to today's lesson, editing your own copy. Very often you run into a package that just cries out for more time since you have so much information, but because of time constraints you just can't get everything in. At times like these every single word counts, and if you can get the little stuff out of your package without changing the meaning, you can save those precious seconds for the good stuff.

And if you're a producer, this can help you when you're really tight on time as well.

Lets start with something simple as we re-write this sentence and save a few seconds...

"The bailout bill is still working its way through Congress as members of both the House and Senate are trying to revise the bill."

OK, while that sentence is fine, let's shorten it without changing the meaning....

"Right now Congress is working on revisions to the bailout bill."

That was an easy example. We saved three or four seconds and said the same thing. Do that with every sentence and things will really add up.

Let's try something a little different...

"You can expect airlines to impose even more fees as we head toward the holiday season, as high fuel costs continue to be a hardship. Many carriers are already charging fifteen dollars to check one bag and even more to check a second bag. And if your bags are too heavy, you could be slapped with another hefty fee at the gate."

We're really going to whittle this one down. Remember, every single word that isn't necessary must go...

"Expect more fees when flying during the holidays. Fuel costs are forcing carriers to charge for checked baggage and impose fees on overweight luggage."

Once again, same meaning, lots of time saved. And we've combined the information on checked bags and overweight luggage into one sentence.

If you really want to work on this, print out your scripts from the last few days, take a red pen, and get rid of all the words you don't really need. Then re-write your copy so that it's tight and to the point.

Eventually this will become second nature, and you'll be able to get more information into your copy while saving time.