How do you balance the need for brevity with the need for thoroughness in content, particularly when editing for word count restrictions or concise messaging?

Let's walk through an example of editing a sentence to demonstrate.

• Original sentence : “The painting looked to be meticulously detailed.”
  • This sentence explains what’s happening and there are no grammatical errors. Improvements exist though.
• Version two :  “The painting was detailed.”
  • I delete “looked to be” or “meticulously.” “Looked to be” is unneeded — my writing becomes more precise by just saying “was.” The phrase also makes it seem like I’m not confident about my thoughts -- either the painting is or is not detailed. I deleted the word “meticulously” because the definition of “meticulously” includes the word “detail.” No need to repeat ourselves. This sentence, however, can still improve! 
• Final version : “I admired the detailed painting.”
  • This is a much better sentence than what we started with. Pay attention to how we have now brought the “I” back into the sentence, making what is happening more personal. Furthermore, instead of just stating a fact such as “the painting was detailed,” this final sentence now includes more of an action. We still know that the painting was detailed but now this sentences, unlike the previous one, demonstrates that you admired the painting.

This is a common problem with personal statements and some academic coursework. I approach the task by highlighting the critical parts of the text. Then, I remove as many unnecessary words as possible without losing meaning, context, and the author's "voice." I then turn my attention to the secondary text to discern what supports the main points and what is padding. Next, I delete the unnecessary verbiage and check that I meet the word count requirement. I will repeat this step if there are too many words.

The resulting text is spell-checked, edited, and then copy-edited to produce a polished draft. My next step is to read it aloud, making any necessary corrections as I do this. As the final step, I read it line by line from the end to the beginning, making any necessary corrections as I do this.

I focus on retaining key information and clarity while removing redundant or unnecessary phrases. I prioritize essential points and streamline the language without sacrificing meaning, ensuring the message remains clear and impactful within the word count or concise format.

Try and keep it simple, and then work with a highly experienced editor to sharpen your work. My most common editing task is finding fewer words to convey the same meaning. Editing is very much a collaboration. The writer is the expert at their content, whether non-fiction business-oriented or a 100K-word novel. When I sweep through a paragraph, my experienced eye means I can very quickly reduce the word count without losing your voice or meaning. For example, 'there was no response from him' becomes 'he didn’t respond,' and 'The objectives of HR marketing are...' becomes 'HR marketing objectives are...' Do what you do best, bring your expertise, get your meaning down on the page, and then, have a knowledgeable editor polish your words.

This is a tough one.  I was just speaking at an event, and I had dozens of slides that never made it to the light of day during the actual presentation. It was information overload. In the same manner I suggest that tight impactful content is better than an ocean of words.

To strike the perfect balance, trim the fluff and spotlight the essentials! Use strong verbs, ditch extra adjectives, and keep things punchy with active voice. Group similar ideas together, cut out the repeats, and focus on what really matters. Bullet points for clarity, ruthless editing for impact—every word should work hard! Keep it sharp, keep it fun, and make every sentence pop!

I work mostly with apps and therefore have limited character space. I start with finding the most important points that must be conveyed and then simplify the message as much as possible.

Less critical details can be minimized or removed altogether. I also remove any repetitive information, filler words, or overly complex phrasing.

I think using clear and direct language, active voice and straightforward commands is better, even if you have to omit something and leave a bit for the user to imagine. This helps maintain a tight word count while still delivering essential information.

It is also important to check what the audience absolutely needs to know and what can be left out. Deposit details don’t have to always be deposit details. It can be shortened to details in most cases.

Where possible, I summarize more intricate concepts into concise statements without losing meaning.