When editing your work, check for long verb phrases with unnecessary helper verbs and delete them: “The mail room manager is able to sort mail electronically.” The revision: “The mail room manager sorts mail electronically.”
Get Used to Throwing Words Away
Writing is rewriting, and that means writing more words than you will end up using—and throwing away the rest. That’s a tough pill to swallow for those who don’t like to write in the first place, and those who can’t bear to part with words they spent much time, effort, and sweat to produce. But the undeniable fact is that good writers write more words than they need and toss the leftovers. A tough concept to get used to, but a big step to improving one’s writing.