I am not a writing expert. I am, however, someone who appreciates (and fights for!) clear, focused writing. I enjoy analyzing writing style, discussing rules of grammar, and correcting punctuation. I have been known to discuss appositives and proper comma placement, even on my personal Facebook page, and I may or may not have recently gone out to lunch with colleagues in honor of National Punctuation Day.
As a lawyer, I have been fortunate to work with and for others who not only appreciate clear, focused legal writing but who have demanded it from me. Here are a few tips that have stuck with me along the way:
- “Kill Your Darlings.” A partner at my former law firm said this at least once every time we wrote a brief together. The phrase is attributed to William Faulkner, and, as I understand it, essentially means that you should delete anything in your writing that, in your mind, is particularly clever, cute, or astute.
- Example: When I was a law clerk, I drafted an opinion that included a footnote referring to The Simpsons. The opinion had nothing to do with The Simpsons, but, oh the glee I felt in including the reference! That glee should have been my signal to take a second look, and, ultimately, to delete the reference.
- Avoid adverbs. Verbs are the action words in your writing. They should be doing the heavy lifting all by themselves. If your verb needs a boost from an adverb, look for a better verb to convey your message.
- Example: Compare “He walked slowly past the store, glancing in the window” with “He inched past the store, glancing in the window.”
- Clearly, you shouldn’t use the word clearly. Brief writing is especially susceptible to the “clearly” trap. See also “obviously,” “without question,” and “to be sure.” If you have started a sentence with “clearly,” evaluate whether that sentence is even necessary. If you feel that the sentence is necessary, evaluate whether you’ve explained your point. Often, a “clearly” sentence is a shorthand legal conclusion and a more complete explanation of your point is necessary.
What writing tips have stuck with you during your career?