Opinion : The enigma of breviloquence, continued

Comments from my flock of column readers – assuming, of course, that two constitutes a “flock” – indicate that I did not write nearly enough words about writing too many words.

So, today, I will share a lesson that I shared recently with our class of Junior Journalists.

Those who have read my column and advised my to write shorter ones mya read this and say, "Physician, heal thyself." To which I reply: Your advice is duly noted and I am pleased to tell you that I have placed myself under the proper metaphorical physical care and have begun the treatment of the condition which motivated you to offer your advice, therefore...."

Oops. I got distracted. Back to the topic.

I told the students that unlike some of their school assignments, when a teacher tells them to write a certain number of pages or words, the goal of journalism is to tell a story in as few words as possible

Then I told them the Fish Market Sign Story.

I got this story from Peggy Noonan, who wrote Dan Rather’s radio broadcasts for three years before spending the next two as a speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan. She is now a Wall Street Journal columnist. I assume she got this illustration from a journalism professor:

A fish market near the ocean had a sign in the window: "Fresh fish sold here."

But the owner realized that the sign was unnecessarily redundant and lengthy.

So he shortened it.

“Our store is next to the ocean, where we catch the fish,” said the man. So he took off the word “Fresh.”

“Of course the fish is here,” said the man. “This is where we are.”

He removed the word “Here.”

Then he looked at the sign again.

“People know we are selling fish; we are not giving it away,” he said.

The result: A sign that simply said: Fish.

So when you have something to say, say it as well as you can. Choose your words carefully so you say the most with the fewest words. Then when you have told the story, stop.

Like this.