Nib #5: Get to the Point

If you don’t mind, I would just like to take this opportunity, right here at the beginning of this week’s Nib — before we dive into too many specific details — to introduce you to one of the most common and annoying habits young writers pick up at…

 *Aaaaaaaand, scene!*

Feel like running into traffic? I don’t blame you. The foregoing was what we call *throat-clearing.* And it’s the worst.

Part of making your writing reader-friendly is respecting your reader’s time. Too many writers waste readers’ time by introducing their introductions rather than just writing them.

 You see throat-clearing in loose, first-paragraph phrases like:

 “I was just wondering…”

“I would just like to see if…”

“If you don’t mind…”

“…take this opportunity to…”

“… take a moment and…”

No, no, no. Stop all that. Just say it.

Throat-clearing never connotes the humility and deference its writers intend. It’s just annoying. No one wants to slog through half-a-page of “ahem… ahem… excuse me… pardon me” before grasping what a letter, essay, or memo is about.

Respect your readers’ time. Write directly. Write clearly. Cut down on the windup, and get on with the pitch.

Until next week… keep writing!