The Dreaded Word Count

One thing I still find strange about writing communications at work versus at uni is the word count. You spend years finding new and unique ways to reach the required word count for your assignments, then realise that in the real world, short and sweet is usually the preferred option. It’s a pretty big adjustment to make!

We are putting together our newsletter at the moment and as most of my stories only fill a half page, considering pictures and the layout even 150 words for each story is pushing it. Let’s face it: it’s pretty hard to tell a story in 150 words. I’ve spent the day reading and re-reading to try and cut down my stories to fit and it can be a pretty frustrating experience.

My first instinct when cutting down is to quietly sulk that it sounded better the first time around, but
I’ve started to realise how much bulk you can put into a story without even meaning to. It forces you to really examine your writing style and where you can improve, where you can become clearer and more concise.  It can be difficult to edit your own writing but in my experience, it’s a really important skill to gain. 

Even now, with my last three paragraphs I’ve reached 206 words and am wondering if I’ve written enough to fulfil my expected blog ‘word count’. It’s exactly this sort of thinking I need to banish in the workplace!