5 ms·

"I am sorry I have had to write you such a long letter, but I did not have time to write you a short one" -- Blaise Pascal My writing was also ruined by highsc

"I am sorry I have had to write you such a long letter, but I did not have time to write you a short one" -- Blaise Pascal My writing was also ruined by highschool English rewarding large word counts and overblown language. Twitter has completely broken me of the habit, and my writing is far clearer and punchier as a result. Eschew excess verbiage and all that.

dalke 14y ago
Why is "excess" needed there? "Eschew verbiage" seems a better fit to its own guideline. "Verbiage" means "speech or writing that uses too many words or excessively technical expressions" so the original is something like "avoid an excess of too many words."
- Ezku 14y ago
  I think the phrasing was purposefully self-ironic, but in the sense of excessively technical expressions rather than having too many words.
- gjm11 14y ago
  "Be brief."
- mysterywhiteboy 14y ago
  It's a Mark Twain quote where Twain was making the point ironically.
- nikatwork 14y ago
  verbiage (plural verbiages) 1. Overabundance of words 2. (US) The manner in which something is expressed in words Using the second definition, this quote makes sense only with the inclusion of "excess". [1] http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/verbiage http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/verbiage
brazzy 14y ago
The most eye-opening thing I've did in that regard is participate in a "microfiction" contest related to an online game, that had you tell complete stories in exactly 55 words, with a (vague) predetermined theme. It's truly amazing what you can do with so few words.
- ollysb 14y ago
  I'd love to read some of these, got a link?
  - brazzy 14y ago
    http://forums.puzzlepirates.com/community/mvnforum/viewthread?thread=37566 http://forums.puzzlepirates.com/community/mvnforum/viewthrea... The rounds of contest stories are linked in the first post. The contest was inspired by this: http://www.wunderland.com/WTS/Andy/Nanofiction.html http://www.wunderland.com/WTS/Andy/Nanofiction.html
    - reubenswartz 14y ago
      Great stuff. Reminds me of Hemmingway's shortest story, just 6 words: "For sale: baby shoes, never used."

dalke 14y ago

Why is "excess" needed there? "Eschew verbiage" seems a better fit to its own guideline. "Verbiage" means "speech or writing that uses too many words or excessively technical expressions" so the original is something like "avoid an excess of too many words."

Ezku 14y ago
I think the phrasing was purposefully self-ironic, but in the sense of excessively technical expressions rather than having too many words.
gjm11 14y ago
"Be brief."
mysterywhiteboy 14y ago
It's a Mark Twain quote where Twain was making the point ironically.
nikatwork 14y ago
verbiage (plural verbiages) 1. Overabundance of words 2. (US) The manner in which something is expressed in words Using the second definition, this quote makes sense only with the inclusion of "excess". [1] http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/verbiage http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/verbiage

brazzy 14y ago

The most eye-opening thing I've did in that regard is participate in a "microfiction" contest related to an online game, that had you tell complete stories in exactly 55 words, with a (vague) predetermined theme. It's truly amazing what you can do with so few words.

ollysb 14y ago
I'd love to read some of these, got a link?
- brazzy 14y ago
  http://forums.puzzlepirates.com/community/mvnforum/viewthread?thread=37566 http://forums.puzzlepirates.com/community/mvnforum/viewthrea... The rounds of contest stories are linked in the first post. The contest was inspired by this: http://www.wunderland.com/WTS/Andy/Nanofiction.html http://www.wunderland.com/WTS/Andy/Nanofiction.html
  - reubenswartz 14y ago
    Great stuff. Reminds me of Hemmingway's shortest story, just 6 words: "For sale: baby shoes, never used."