By Kimberly Le
Have you ever found yourself writing an essay and thinking "Wow! This is such a great essay - I'm including facts and my own opinions and I'm extremely passionate about this topic!" But when you get your grade back your professor marks you down for things like "inefficient evidence", "passive voice", or "lacks analyzation and/or understanding of text". It might've been a miscommunication between you and your professor and your different interpretations of your writing or, it may be a case of "fluffy writing" - aka the red zone in academic writing. Don't worry, we've all been there. Myself included. There is no "concrete" definition of fluffy writing, but the basic idea is that the content is too wordy and/or full of meaningless "filler" that detracts the reader from the focus of the paper. It's not necessarily a negative thing! But when it comes to academic writing, it can definitely steer your audience – typically your professor – away from the prompt they've assigned. So, from my experience, here are tips and tricks to keep in the back of your head while you write your essay and to also give opportunities for when fluff is okay and encouraged (so don't throw away the idea just yet)! And as always, this is not the "end-all-be-all" sure way to avoid fluff, but it definitely is a start to what you can be looking out for in your writing! Jargon Don't get it confused with "slang", as the two are distinctive of each other. While both are oriented towards a certain community, "slang" is informal and uses words or phrases that steer far from its actual meaning (think "salty", "savage", or "shade"). "Jargon", on the other hand, are words and phrases that are popularized and developed within a community. For example, there's business jargon, medical jargon, and police jargon. The thing to be cautious about when using jargon is understanding who your audience is and whether the terms you use will be familiar to them. It certainly is helpful in writing, but do so effectively and with consideration. Don't Try to be Fancy A good rule of thumb is, "if you have to look up the word, don't use it". Keep it simple! There's nothing wrong with using "common words" – so long as you're getting your point across. Same goes for using synonyms of said common words (think "use" instead of "utilize"). Intensifiers A professor once told me there was no such thing as "very" of "anything" which may sound extreme, but in the context of writing a paper, it's applicable. If you find yourself using "very", "extremely", or "really" see what happens when you take them out (and see how much simpler your paper will be). Fillers We write these words without even thinking. They're harmless, but they aren't necessary and so you should look out for when you add words like "just", "really", "even", "quite", or "that". Of course, these words can be helpful for emphasis, so use your best judgement when writing. They're similar to intensifiers, though, are "very" justifiable depending on the context. All seriousness aside, fluffy writing has its perks too. When you're writing a rough draft you should be dumping all of your thoughts and ideas into an "essay" format. Fluffy writing, in this case, would be highly recommended since it allows you to write as much as you can about whatever topic (remember, it's always better to have too much than too little!). Fluffy writing is also helpful in creative writing. If you're a storyteller, feel free to let your mind wander and get all of those juicy details into your plot. If you're a poet, think of the impact each word has and how it'll be read to your audience. Fluffy writing is not what you should submit to a research journal, but it is what you should look to if you're drawing a blank on how to start a paper. We all start somewhere, but at the end of the day, your paper is yours. So, own it, be proud, and keep on writing.
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January 2024
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