One of the phrases
romance writers hear over and over
is “Write tight.”
What this means is
every sentence,
every word should count.
The color of the heroine’s dress
means something.
Her name means something.
The flowers on the dining room table
mean something.
Many casual readers,
including critics of romance,
won’t appreciate this tightness.
They’ll read the story
at the literal level.
For them, the heroine’s dress,
name, flower choice
is completely random.
But for the savvy reader,
the well-read romance reader,
this tightness separates
a story destined for the keeper shelf
from the quickly forgotten stories.
When that savvy reader
is an influential,
magic happens.
Tight isn’t the same as perfect.
Tight is about meaning,
about adding features
because they make the product better,
about making deliberate choices.
Tightness should be the goal
of every new product designer.
Fill your product with meaning.
Hi Client K,
I really liked your interpretation of writing tight. It adds to the delete delete delete flabby words analogy.
Love your words, “to add things” which add quality to your writing.
Every word should have meaning. I think this way of thinking will enhance my understanding of writing tight.
Thank you!
D