He wore a hat on his head.

He wore a hat on his head.

Well, I hardly imagine he wore it on his foot....

Most of my writing students have been recipients of my righteous wrath on this one.

You see, writers are people who have ideas to share with us, and -

Wait. Let’s try that again.

Writers share ideas.

That should do it – unless you happen to know a writer who isn't a person and who is sharing ideas with other non-persons.

Agreed: writers share ideas. Sometimes these ideas are intriguing; sometimes even profound. And, with vexing frequency, they are superfluous.

It’s all about quality, my friends and scribes, not quantity.

Consequently, you must not inform your reader that hats are worn on heads, nor that writers are people. Your readers will reach these obvious conclusions without your help.

You would be correct if you respond, "I believe that writing is challenging because of the fact that grammar and usage are so complex.”

But you could simply say, "Writing is challenging because grammar is complex."

Then again, I have a different opinion: writing isn't really hard. And it’s also not very hard.

It is, on the other hand, demanding. Notice how it remains demanding, even without “really” and “very”? Those two little adverbs seldom serve a worthwhile purpose.

To be honest, you really don’t need to write very many adverbs at all if you choose really descriptive nouns and dynamic verbs. (You don't need adverbs if you choose descriptive nouns and dynamic verbs.)

Okay, I’ll stop the rant.

In conclusion, concision is a valuable attribute in writing.

Wait. Let's try that again.

Concision: it’s good.