TOW #1 -- "How To Say Nothing in 500 Words"

Professor Paul Roberts’ 1956 essay, “How to Say Nothing in 500 Words,” is a staple for the principles of good writing which should be evident in every written piece. Having taught college English for over twenty years, in both San Jose State College and later in Ivy League member Cornell University, Roberts was well versed in linguistics. It is from this experience that Roberts is able to guide the reader -- someone with the ambition to become a better writer -- to including elements needed to make a good written piece, an exquisite written piece, as well as eliminating those that interfere with this goal.
Roberts first suggests to the reader practices such as; the inclusion of examples, rather than plain facts; and the practice of being concise, or removing extra words and ideas not needed in the paper. The inclusion of examples can help to further illustrate an idea, and helps to eliminate the dull atmosphere created by plain facts. The latter – which he refers to as padding a paper – is a technique often used by writers to reach the word limit in a written piece. Roberts points out that using this technique distracts the reader from the point of the paper, and should therefore never present within a paper.
Roberts also introduces the idea of using colored, colorful, and colorless words. He goes on to explain that colored words suggest the writer focuses on putting words in correct order, which can then be expressed with colorful words that tell a story. Colorless words, Roberts explains, are those which he believes to be road blocks in a paper as they provide little importance.
All of this comes wrapped in diction, or specific word choice, which keeps the piece focused on the task of making the reader a better writer. Specifically, the diction eliminates meaningless comments and highlights what is to be learned.
It is through successful writing techniques such as these that Roberts is able to teach the reader what he knows about writing a good essay. Using his own tips in his writing helps the reader to further conclude their importance as they experience firsthand the power of the techniques to create clarity.