The difference between a good writer and bad writer

[Guest willedridge]

"The wireless router on your network lets anyone in your office access your data quickly and easily."



VS



"Your network’s wireless router lets anyone access your office data quickly and easily."

17 words vs 13…



A good writer says more… with less.

[webtelly]

True, but when a buyer orders by the word for a mundane topic that is a stretch to begin with, then the wordiest options start to look very attractive.

[Guest willedridge]

Reply to @webtelly: Yeah I feel your pain, it’s a shame we can’t just quote what the project will cost.



There’s no point in writing more than necessary but when your paid by the word it’s a battle not to.

[webtelly]

You bring up a great point, though: How to leave the “faucet” open while tending the sink. In other words, how do we as sellers create a gig that continues to draw the lifeblood of single orders in the front door, while we try to channel more orders into a quality custom order scenario? It’s a balance, a trade-off, like so many things on Fiverr. But it could be improved. The thing is, 500 words is so perfect in many ways, for a writer. At 12-pt Arial font, with a bold title, it is often right at one page. That just looks good to a buyer when you deliver that. These are my big sellers, because so many people want blog articles right at 500 words. They are like golden nuggets.

[wegotshoutouts]

I agree in some situations but sometimes longer is better depending on what it is for.

[misscrystal]

Either of those phrases could be used and one might be preferable to the other depending on the rest of the paragraph. The first one might be better if you were describing each piece of equipment on your network.

[willpower_hk]

Reply to @misscrystal:

I agree. “lets anyone in your office access your data” may be a little different from “lets anyone access your office data”.

From a buyer’s point of view, I’d consider the preciseness (or in OP’s words - says more with less) and readability of an article first. It’s quite easy to spot a writer’s attempt to lengthen an article with unnecessary words.

[fonthaunt]

One of my best teachers ever pointed out that for many it takes longer to write less. This usually holds true for me. My first draft usually needs cutting. The long piece isn’t bad, it just lacks word economy. $5 gig buyers tend to love higher word counts and speed, so it’s true that I do less editing on those gigs. Quality counts no matter the price, but I have to profit. I have an extra so buyer can pay more for tight editing. Those buyers get less words but more polish. All buyers get basic proofing but those who pay a little more get a piece that has been sanded down and varnished!

[kimproteanmom]

I think part of it is preference, too.



Hemingway was a great writer, but so was Dickens.

[fonthaunt]

Reply to @kimproteanmom: So very true! Some even love Tolstoy or Thomas Wolfe!

[Guest]

You may as well say apples are terrible; oranges are the best.

[sara1984]

I completely agree with reducing the word count when possible to make writing more concise. You wouldn’t believe how many clients end up going through a piece with a fine tooth-comb, though, counting each word, ready to scream at you if it’s 50 words under.



If you asked half the clients on here whether they’d like slick prose, or a wordy, verbose article that goes nowhere fast, they’d choose the latter, as long as it was 250 words more than the first.

[Guest]

Reply to @sara1984: “half the clients” is what makes it so tricky. As a seller, it can be difficult to tell who’s looking for ‘traditional’ quality and who actually wants filler.