The Big Fresh November 1, 2014 Short and Smart

I remember Don Murray’s favorite apology when passing out a long draft for others to read was “Sorry — I didn’t have time to write it short so I wrote it long.” Don believed writers honored their audiences by distilling ideas down to their essence. For him, the best writing was always the most succinct — the fewest carefully chosen words in just the right order.

Don didn’t live to see the days of Twitter, but I think he would have loved the challenge of saying something of value in 140 characters or less. It’s not surprising that Twitter flourishes, even though writing length is not an issue on the web. Blog posts can go on and on — no dead trees to worry about. Yet it seems intrinsic to human nature to appreciate economy — there is beauty in the barrista who moves so quickly and efficiently to craft a delicious espresso or swirl a heart on the surface of a latte, with not one wasted movement.

It’s easy to view short text as easy reading, a way to differentiate instruction for learners who can’t handle longer tomes. But the best short texts (like poetry) present whole worlds in words. They are challenging precisely because they are so precise — they show students the power of rereading, the possibilities of inferring, and the importance of punctuation when it’s framing spare text.

This week we look at using short nonfiction texts in instruction. Plus more as always — enjoy!