language and the internet

[Occhidiangela]

I feel like I'm working and stressing over this class a whole helluva lot more than it deserves. Volume does not guarantee excellence. If I can make a point clear and concise in the alloted time with the alloted length, I shouldn't be forced to use some bloated and anecdote-ridden document as a yardstick to measure my work or success.

You could have a productive conversation on that italicized topic. :)

In my experience, volume of concisely written prose is good, but in general, if you can say it with fewer words and retain context and meaning, you achieve the aim and don't wear out your target reading audience.

Did you ever see the movie "A River Runs Through It?" There is an early vignette where a young man is told to rewrite again and again, "shorter" that is identical to a drill my older brother went through in 8th grade English. Say it just as well with fewer words. Draft, redraft, edit, re edit.

Saying it with less is a great deal more work than saying it with more, since you have to choose and weigh each word, each pharse, far more carefully.