If you're an editor, one of your most important tasks is to cut through thickets of unnecessary verbiage, to find ways to ensure coherent concision.I mean, you keep it short, stupid.
You'll be an effective editor of your own or other people's work if you focus on nothing more than this: Chop words. Tighten everything up. If it can be said in six words, don't let it stretch out to sixteen. Red-pencil away the fat.
Consider the preposition. Removing the ones that aren't absolutely necessary—and so many are not—is a quick, painless way to remove a pound or two. And, trust me, every ounce counts.
my favorite restaurant in Boston / my favorite Boston restaurant
handed the cape to Fritz / handed Fritz the cape
many of the jungles around the world / many of the world's jungles
the shingles on the house / the house's shingles
A huge percentage of your sentences will have one or more of these empty prepositions. Hunt them; weed them out. It's so crazy easy. And the ounces will add up.
Voila. Leaner, more defined prose. Without even breaking a sweat.
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