FFW "True Confessions"

In chapter six, Trimble exhorts writers to pay attention to several types of diction. The recommendation that caught my eye was concerning conciseness. After reading this chapter, I realize that many times I write with the idea in my head that the more adjectives I have, the better the piece will be. Although adjectives can be very useful in writing, it is trivial to use two similar adjectives to describe the same thing. I always thought that by adding decorative adjectives, my writing would somehow sound more sophisticated. I realize now that I probably sound repetitive and my writing would be much clearer if I made it more succinct. I think that the reason many people believe that they should write as much as possible is because in school, we are sometimes given a certain amount we must write. But the truth is, it's not about how much you write. It is about the quality of your writing. A one paragraph argument could be even more convincing than a four paragraph argument. As Trimble says, there shouldn't be words in sentences that have little importance. Every word should be powerful in its own way. I also think that my writing could be more direct; I should not be beating around the bush. By doing so, I may confuse my reader and they will not want to keep reading. The idea is to enthrall the reader, not confuse them or bore them. If you are very direct, your point will be grasped much easier. I need to work on figuring out what my main argument is and presenting it in a straight-forward fashion.