From Language

We write to convey a message. Language is often what we use to convey that message to some reader. But despite how much we use that tool, we often don’t know what exactly it is. I think that it is not the bridge that transports message from writer to reader; it is the chasm between them. A “good” message does not cross a beautifully built bridge; it crosses a small chasm. So —like chiseling a statue from marble— the process of writing within a language is subtractive. We should strive to chisel —from language— a message that is information-dense, precise, and sharp.

Here are four questions —inspired by George Orwell’s essay “Politics and the English Language“— that aid in that process:

Before

1. What message am I trying to convey?

During

2. What words will express it?
3. What image will elucidate it?

After

4. How do I sharpen it?