unpopular opinions for better writing
By Lauren Thurman | September 28, 2023
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We all have wrong opinions that we closely guard, like dragons over their glittering hoards. These views can range from inane (hot dogs are sandwiches) to borderline conspiracist (dark matter was invented by astronomers who didn’t want to admit their math was wrong).*
But sometimes ideas that go against conventional wisdom can work in our favor. This is especially true in writing: How many times were we told never to end a sentence in a preposition, only to realize later that doing so is not only fine but sometimes the best option? And how many sentences would vanish from the surface of the world if it were really true that you must never begin one with a conjunction?
In the spirit of being wrong to make something better, here are a few of my editing hot takes that I believe have helped to improve our clients’ writing as well as my own.
1. people don’t like to read.
Before you raise your hand and insist you like to read, understand that’s not the kind of reading I mean. I’m talking about the reports, the proposals, the memos—yes, even the blog posts—we have to read for work. No matter how well written they are, at the end of the day these materials are still work. If you’re the person writing them, do yourself a favor by making your product as short as possible. Usher your reader directly to the point, make the point, then set the reader free. They’ll thank you for it.
2. adverbs are fine, actually.
Think of adverbs like spiders: a whole bunch in the same room can be a problem, but one or two is just fine. We cannot always select potent, poetic verbs that plunge our readers into the action—and I would argue we don’t need to do this in professional writing in most cases. If you spend too much time trying to live up to your high school English teacher’s expectations, you’ll probably just get stuck. So when you want to stress something, or make it more of the thing that it is, adverbs are perfectly acceptable. Whether you’re typing furiously or hammering the keys, your reader will get the point.
3. topic sentences are for high school.
I still hold a grudge against a college professor who once gave me a B on an essay because my “paragraphs need to start with topic sentences.” While this sort of structure can be useful in some academic writing, it doesn’t do much—and could even work against you—in everyday professional writing. There are so many ways to start a paragraph or section: Bridge from one idea to the next so your reader doesn’t get whiplash. Open with a surprising fact that makes the next few sentences more interesting than Candy Crush. Share an amusing and potentially embarrassing personal anecdote. But plain old topic sentences can feel stuffy, and their repeated use can impose a rigid structure that gets old fast.
4. secrets hurt no one.
What I mean by this slightly cryptic heading is that you don’t have to tell your reader everything. It’s natural to want to dump all the information you’ve learned into the final product—because, hey, you spent a lot of time learning it! But the point of writing isn’t to show everyone how much stuff you know; it’s to communicate a specific message. Just because you can fit an extra sliver of content into your post or report doesn’t mean you should. Any unnecessary language hanging around in your final publication only increases the risk of your reader’s eyes glazing over before they get to the good stuff. (Refer back to item 1: people don’t like to read.)
5. you can’t do everything.
I am a strong writer and a darn good editor—but not at the same time! If I write the first draft of an article, the best person to edit that article will be anyone but me. A fresh pair of eyes will notice problems that I didn’t spot and will add new ideas that I may have never come up with on my own. I know how good it feels to claim authorship over something, and how hard it can be to relinquish control of creative projects we’ve worked hard to produce, but it’s worth it. Our best work is never done in isolation, but grows and improves through collective effort. Two heads, and all that.
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If you’re interested in taking your writing to the next level, drop us a line! Whether you’re an author stuck on a novel draft or a marketing team going in circles on a new campaign, we can help you reach your goals.
* These are actual opinions held by the founders of Lowercase. For their privacy, we will not reveal which opinion belongs to which founder.