Speaking of Bloodletting…

I recently reduced my nostalgia series on work (here, here and here) from a whopping and totally-out-of-control 3,645 words to a slim and trim 672 for my upcoming Huntsville Times community column this Sunday.

Yes, politicians and preachers, it is possible to keep it “short and sweet.” You just have to work at it.

My disdain for “verbal sprawl” goes back quite a ways. Over the years, I’ve served as a reviewer for several professional journals and have edited a large number of manuscripts to prepare them for publication. I gained a reputation as a reviewer who “bled red.” The editors always seemed to like that. The contributors? Well, not so much.

So I’m thankful that the Huntsville Times limits me to 680 words each time. It forces me to make every word count. And if you think about it, that’s what we should be doing all the time anyway.

Go ahead and save the planet, but while you’re at it, save the alphabet as well.

Keep it brief, people. And have a great weekend.

6 Comments

  1. mmlace

    As always, I look forward to your monthly column! Have a good weekend! Much love!

  2. Stoogelover

    Well, I was going to comment but you’ve limited me to only a few words so just forget it! I’m going to a blog where I can ramble on and on . . .

  3. Mike the Eyeguy

    Hey, that’s what yours is for! 🙂

  4. mmlace

    You’ll be glad to know that my bloodletting today was the most pleasant bloodletting experience I’ve had thus far! I mean, as much as you can consider having a ginormous needle shoved in your arm “pleasant.”

    I walked away w/a T-shirt that says “I Rock” and a heart-shaped sticker that says, “Be nice to me, I gave blood today!”

    Except that you know how they give you some kind of a little stress ball to roll around or squeeze while donating? I did not get just any normal stress ball, this time I was given a heart-shaped one! And I don’t mean like a nice-Valentine’s-Day-heart-shaped one…I mean like a human-heart shaped one. That was a little weird.

    And my arm still hurts…

  5. Mike the Eyeguy

    I have a stress ball that’s shaped like an eyeball. Big surprise, that.

  6. mmlace

    I could never use that to donate with…

    I would feel like I was being watched! HA! 😉

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