And Your Point Is?

With any piece of writing, it is absolutely essential to establish your theme from the outset.  Whether you are writing about whether the United States should continue the war with Iraq, why the Yankees lost to the Red Sox in last year’s playoffs, or who The Donald should say “You’re fired!” to next, you need to make that clear right away.  Especially when your audience is reading your work at a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels.

Use the scrollbar at the side of your post screen as a benchmark.  If you reach the end of the screen before you reach your point, it’s time to go back and edit.  Look for things that can be moved to a later paragraph, reworded, or deleted entirely.  The maxim “Less is more” should be your guideline.

In 1787, our founders made good use of this guideline.  They had decided to replace our original constitution, the Articles of Confederation, which had resulted in a dysfunctional government unable to carry out many of its basic functions, with a new constitution.

Although the need for a new constitution was very clear, it was also very controversial.  What powers it granted to the federal government and the states were subjects of furious fights at the Constitutional Convention that was held that year, in the state legislatures, and among the people.  So the new federal government needed to explain and justify its existence and purpose, in clear, concise, and organized terms.

This is the opening of the Articles of Confederation:

To all to whom these Presents shall come, we the undersigned Delegates of the States affixed to our Names send greeting.

Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union between the States of New Hampshire, Massachusetts bay, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

Article I. The Stile of this Confederacy shall be “The United States of America.”

Article II. Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence, and every power, jurisdiction, and right, which is not by this Confederation expressly delegated to the United States, in Congress assembled.

Article III. The said States hereby severally enter into a firm league of friendship with each other, for their common defense, the security of their liberties, and their mutual and general welfare, binding themselves to assist each other, against all force offered to, or attacks made upon them, or any of them, on account of religion, sovereignty, trade, or any other pretense whatever.

And this is the Preamble to our current Constitution:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Notice how that single paragraph, at the beginning of the document, accomplishes in one sentence and fifty-two words what it takes the Articles of Confederation two paragraphs of opening text followed by three articles to announce:  what its writers intend to accomplish in this document.

222 years later, with over 9 million blogs in existence, brevity and conciseness in blog posts are more crucial than ever.  If your readers are scratching their heads as they scroll down looking for your main point, they will leave your blog.  So get there fast in order to keep them reading your messages.