“Pass with care.”

That is, perhaps, the most succinct instructional phrase in human history.  Think about it. It tells you what to do — “pass” — and how to do it — “with care.”

It’s just three simple words put together in beautiful, magnificent harmony.

Okay, perhaps I exaggerate. But, still, it is a marvelous phrase for its shear simplicity. And that begs the question, “Are you writing with care?”

Here are some things to keep in mind to ensure that you write with care:

• Choose appropriate words. Think about the word you’ve selected and ask yourself if it’s the “right” word to accurately describe what you’re trying to say.
• Consider other variations of your chosen word. Blue is generic. Cerulean, however, is far more descriptive. Use a thesaurus or online reference if you need help thinking of other words.
• Eliminate unnecessary words and redundancies. Self-edit your writing. Look at each and every word. Do you need it? Can it be deleted or condensed? If so, do it.
• Keep to a single thought. Long, complex sentences worked well for Dickens but not for the rest of us. Your sentence should be simple enough to understand easily upon reading it just once.
• Vary sentence structure. Give your writing the same kind of cadence as your speaking voice. Nobody likes to listen to or read something monotone.
• Put emotion or humanity into your writing. “Pass with care,” has such a gentleness to it because of the word “care.” It evokes something in us and touches our softer, human nature. Find a word or a phrase that lets you do the same without being sappy.

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