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Most of us know what this acronym means. I’ve never been a fan of the Stupid part. Recently I read an article on author style written by Stephen Wilbers. He teaches business writing and writes a column for the Star Tribune in Minneapolis twice a month. Mr. Wilbers’ article inspired me to rewrite the meaning of the KISS acronym to:
Keep It Simply Succinct.

What is author style? It’s the way you describe, inform, and tell your story. Style isn’t an excuse to write exactly the way you speak or take the reader on an endless journey of run-on sentences and detoured thoughts. Unless you’re Garrison Keillor. It’s the way you correctly deploy the rules of proper grammar and writing technique and the way you break them (within reason) to write your story.

Mr. Wilbers used one word that struck home with me and actually made me feel vindicated for many of the editing remarks I’ve made over the years. He used the word “utilitarian.” While editing Love Bites, I was reminded over and over, to make the most of every word I chose and to cut any that aren’t contributing to the whole. However, William Strunk and E.B. White remind writers not to take shortcuts at the expense of clarity. There’s a balance to reach between eliminating unnecessary information and making the reader scratch his head, wasting time instead of saving it. Each word must pull its own weight. Does that mean you shouldn’t spend time creating a rich story that engages the senses? Absolutely not. It means you shouldn’t fill up the story with tidbits that prevent the story from moving forward smoothly or leave readers wondering why they needed to know that. For example, it isn’t necessary to describe every element of a romantic meal unless you’re writing an article on cooking or meal planning. A taste, scent (or odor), texture, or visual description of portions of the meal dramatizes the scene and draws in the reader but skip the play-by-play that may send them looking for a snack of their own instead of reading your work.

I spent the weekend rereading my newest manuscript, Love Bites. I definitely have my own style. My work "feels" airy to me. Compelling in the right places and swift for the eye. In a couple of spots, I think I edited back too far and thought the paragraph read choppy. Dang.  Those are fixes waiting to happen.

One of the things I like best about Twitter and texting is they force me to get to the point. I use shortcut text but I must be succinct for Twitter and I’m too lazy to text long messages. I also write direct marketing materials all day long. People are busy. Get to the point FAST. Give them every bit of information they need and skip all the junk they don’t. Save the TMI for the sequel, or a follow-up article or just suck it up and delete it. Keep It Simply Succinct.

Until the next time,

The Churchlady