Your writing is full of bullshit. All your emails, blogs, and reports are full of unnecessary jargon, weasel words, and platitudes. And it’s all because you’re afraid of being bold and direct.
At least that’s what Josh Bernoff believes.
And according to him, you can change all of that. Bernoff’s book Writing Without Bullshit calls you out on your bullshit, but provides succinct and actionable ways to change not only how you write, but how you communicate.
Bullshit is a real problem and it’s crippling corporate America. Forget today’s buzz phrases like “digital transformation” and “omnichannel marketing” – because they’re jargon . Bernoff believes we fail to be straight and direct with each other because we’re afraid of saying what we mean. Bernoff feels that we need to treat the reader’s time as more valuable than our own. If we really mean that, why would we say bullshit like “digital transformation”? I work in an industry that espouses bullshit phrases constantly because it’s what sells. But if you ask for a definition of one of these terms, you’d never get anything precise because the phrase is bullshit.
Writing Without Bullshit is the antithesis of Strunk and White. Much has changed since that book was first published, but we still write bullshit because writers don’t realize that the reader’s time is a commodity and there’s a lot of fighting for their attention. To make up for his reader’s short attention span, Bernoff’s book is part style-guide, part how-to, and part self-help.
I enjoyed being exposed to the psychology of writing. Bernoff believes that concepts like shame, fear, and insecurity induce bullshit writing. Here are three ideas to keep in mind to make you a better writer.
- Don’t be Afraid
- Just because someone is being direct doesn’t mean that they’re being crass. It often means they’re being succinct and clear. Don’t be afraid to get to the point right away. In today’s world with screens everywhere, you’re fighting for the reader’s attention. Stay on target with the message and the reader will follow.
- Be Vulnerable
- Editing simultaneously sucks and is a lost art. With so many content platforms, who has time to edit these days? Bernoff said, “words don’t love you, so why should you love them?” Be bold and make yourself vulnerable by reaching out to others for help with editing. But be clear about the ask: are they looking to edit for structure, grammar, or ideas in general?
- Don’t be afraid to salt the earth and start over. You can’t do this in most aspects of your life, but you can in your writing.
- Don’t Be Insecure
- I work in consulting, and a coworker once said you had to be a sadist to work in consulting because it’s all about pleasing the client. Too often I, and I’m sure others, accept all comments from a client. Bernoff believes that if you accept all the revision comments, you’re insecure. If you’re insecure, you lose control of your writing. Stop being so insecure and stand up for yourself. This is your baby. The editor may be calling it ugly, but you’re still the one in control. This relieves me because I’d rather be in control than being a sadist.
There will always be some bullshit in your writing , but you’ll be a better writer if there’s less bullshit in your writing. Hopefully you too read Bernoff’s book and start cleansing your writing of BS. And please, call me on my writing bullshit.