Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

It is simple math: the more words presented the more errors present. Rats.

There is a big benefit to brevity: fewer errors.

One way to consider errors is to look at the number of errors per the number of words. Something like five errors per one-hundred words. That is 95% correct and is pretty darn good.

Given 500 words on a typed page, that means 25 errors. Seems like a lot, huh? Well, if our piece of writing is two pages long, that is 50 errors. Three pages? 75 errors.

Aha, a simple way to reduce 75 errors down to only 25 errors: delete two of the three pages.

But, but, and but. No buts. It is simple math. Don’t ya’ just hate simple math? There must be a trick or a catch here, right? Nope. Simple math prevails.

Brevity reduces the number of errors.