At Channels, we wish to encourage efficient writing: articles that authors can finish quickly, and readers can consumer faster. That is why we chose 1,000 words as the upper limit for all articles written on Channels.

1,000 words are just enough to allow one to express a thought, idea or opinion really well, without leading them into the trap of saying too many things at the same time, or of taking too much time before coming directly to the main point.

Writing within 1,000 words is not hard at all, if you use a few thinking and editing tricks such as the ones that follow.

Editing Tricks to Reduce Word Count

1. Use contractions – haven’t instead of have not, isn’t instead of is not, hadn’t instead of had not, etc. Save one word per contraction.

2. Throw out redundant words – Often, we write bloated sentences that express the same idea twice.

The park authorities decided to charge Rs 20 entry fee to visiting patrons. = The park decided to charge Rs 20 to visitors.We couldn’t decide whether or not to buy the grocery. = We couldn’t decide whether to buy the grocery.I had to bow down in front of the king. = I had to bow before the king.

3. Replace adverbs and adjectives with better adjectives or verbs,

That dress looked extremely beautiful on her. = She rocked that dress.The hurricane completely ruined the city. = The hurricane devastated the city.

4. Remove unnecessary continuous verbs or passive voice,

We were always trying to keep up with the deadlines. = We always tried keeping up with the deadlines.

They were given a project by their boss. = The boss gave them a project.

5. Remove prepositions,

Were you the victim of a burglary? = Were you a burglary victim?The floods in Mumbai caused huge losses of infrastructure. = The Mumbai floods caused huge infrastructure losses.

Thinking about a 1,000 word article

1. Choose the correct angle – If, while writing a movie review, you find yourself writing more about the actor’s questionable career choices, then you’re probably intending to write about the actor’s career without realising it. In that case, change your article’s angle to examining the actor’s career. You can always write a separate movie review later.

2. Stick to aspects you feel most strongly about – If, while reviewing a restaurant, you feel more passionately about the quality of service at eateries and less about the food, then stick to the quality of service and ignore commenting about the food. The more you write about subjects you enjoy, the more your audience will like to read you. Your article doesn’t have to be a cookie-cutter idea of a review that you read in some famous magazine.

3. Plan and divide your article into five ideas – and then write a 200-word paragraph about each idea. You’re done!

We hope that these tricks help you write quicker and better without feeling restrained by the 1,000 word limit.