“This just doesn’t flow.”

“The writing is clunky.”

“It’s too wordy.”

Advice like this can leave writers feeling frustrated and lost. The advice may very well be true, but it’s lacking the concrete details to help writers decide what to change in order to address the concerns.

All of the above comments are likely a reaction to the writing style. Writing style, just like clothing style or home decor style, is a tricky thing. It’s a combination of personal preference (what does the writer like?) and audience expectations (what does the reader like?)

Just like clothing style, writing style is influenced by many factors:

• Culture
• Writer’s mood
• Purpose of the piece
• Writer’s exposure to other’s styles

A Closer Look at Writing Style

Think about it. When you pick your clothes out in the morning—or, if you’re like my homeschooled kids, in the afternoon—you make a choice from many influences. The clothes available to you are likely a result of your culture. The weather outside (like the purpose of a piece of writing) is going to change what you pick. Your mood might have you reaching for that comfy hoodie over the fashionable fitted shirt. Some clothes might be perfectly appropriate in one setting (like a ballgown at a formal dance) but completely ridiculous in another (like a ballgown at a ball game).

Similarly, writing style is influenced by cultural norms and the writer’s mood. When we’re happy and excited, our writing is usually more uplifting. Sad days tend to produce darker writing. If we’re writing to a friend, we might be more casual while a letter in a job application will be much more formal.

Style, unlike grammatical construction and syntax, doesn’t have formal rules about what’s “right” and “wrong.” Instead, it’s a judgment call, and that can make it hard to improve.

Many choices go into creating writing style, but in this post, I’m going to focus on three specific ways to improve writing style.

Tip 1: Avoid “It Is . . . That” Construction

The first tip for improving your style is to check and see if you’re using “it is . . . that” construction.

What is it? It’s when you explain something using the phrase “it is” followed by a “that” later in the sentence.

Why is it a problem? Well, it’s not . . . always. That’s why it’s a matter of style instead of a rule. Consider these examples:

• My favorite movie is Amelie. It is the film that can always raise my spirits.
• His cloak is dark blue. It is the color that reminds you of the space between fireworks bursting, the sky just before the first star appears.

In these cases, the writing style is intentionally poetic and the “it is . . . that” construction isn’t overly distracting. If either of these writers used that construction multiple times, though, it would get distracting even in poetic pieces of writing.

Most of the time, this construction is clunky and not needed. Consider these examples:

• It is my intention to begin a job that will fulfill my need to help others.
• It is Daisy who is the subject of Gatsby’s obsession.
• It was the the disappearance of the frog population that alarmed the scientists.

In all of these cases, the sentences would be clearer and more focused without the “it is . . . that” construction:

• I intend to begin a job that will fulfill my need to help others.
• Daisy is the subject of Gatsby’s obsession.
• The disappearance of the frog population alarmed the scientists.

Once you have your final draft written and you’re sure that you’ve said everything you want to say in the order you want to say it, search your document for the word “that” and check each instance for “it is . . . that” construction.

Remember, if you really like it, you don’t need to change it. However, you should read it out loud and make sure you really like it before you leave it in.

Tip 2: Do You Really Need That “That”?

While you’ve got every “that” highlighted, go ahead and double check it even if it isn’t part of a “it is . . . that” sentence.

The word “that” is often unnecessary. Check out these examples:

• I said that I wanted to go to the store later this afternoon.
• The movie that we ended up seeing was too long, and I fell asleep.
• The play that is starting next week looks like the kind of thing that I would like.

Often, you can completely cut a “that” without changing the meaning of the sentence at all:

• I said I wanted to go to the store later this afternoon.
• The movie we ended up seeing was too long, and I fell asleep.
• The play starting next week looks like the kind of thing I would like.

Again, you don’t have to get rid of every “that”—and sometimes it really is necessary for the sentence to make sense—but it’s a good place to check for unnecessary wordiness that can clutter up your style.

Tip 3: Check the “To Be” Verbs

The “to be” verbs are notorious clutterers. Is, are, was, to be, and am are frequently parts of unnecessary phrases, and using them too often can make your writing style needlessly wordy.

Consider this paragraph:

• It is important to be more attentive to how we can be less reliant on plastics in our daily lives. We need to be aware of how these choices are impacting the environment and humanity’s own future. What seems to be a quick convenience is too often thoughtlessly discarded and replaced without attention to how it was produced in the first place.

This writer is trying to make an important point that is likely part of a larger argument. However, the ideas are getting cluttered out by unnecessary phrases, and the “to be” verbs are like flags to help us find and remove them.

Consider this revision:

• We must become less reliant on plastics in our daily lives. These choices impact the environment and humanity’s own future. What seems like a quick convenience is too often thoughtlessly discarded and replaced without attention to how it was produced in the first place.

The second version makes the point more directly; as a result it comes across more confidently.

Bonus Tip: Add Confidence by Removing Hedge Phrases

Speaking of confidence, I’ve got one more bonus tip when it comes to making sure your ideas come across with strength and purpose.

Get rid of the hedge phrases.

What’s a hedge phrase? Anything designed to soften the blow of your statement. Here are some common ones:

• I think that
• I believe that
• It’s possible that
• Perhaps
• Might
• Maybe
• A little

Again, hedge phrases have a place. Sometimes you legitimately and honestly are not sure. Sometimes you are adding in a softener for the sake of politeness. (“This lemonade is too sour!” and “This lemonade is a little too sour!” come across differently to the lemonade-maker’s ears.)

Most of the time, though, we wouldn’t be writing a paper to say something we don’t believe. Getting rid of the hedge phrases can make our ideas seem stronger.

Consider this:

• I think that the book lacked dynamic characters and instead relied a little too heavily on tired stereotypes. I maybe would have enjoyed it a little more if the main character’s final plot arc had been a bit less predictable.

Compared to this:

• The book lacked dynamic characters and instead relied too heavily on tired stereotypes. I would have enjoyed it more if the main character’s final plot arc had been less predictable.

Want more writing tips? Check out Dayla Learning’s Tools for Academic Writing Success, a self-paced online class with nine units focused on different parts of the academic writing process.