Everybody hates fluff. After all, who wants to read extra words that amount to nothing? In nonfiction writing, anything that doesn’t help your piece further its ability to inform and clarify is usually just fluff – nothing more.
Fluff is especially harmful when you’re writing for the web, adding to the overall noise and clutter already found online without contributing anything of real value. Your title that “could” do wonders for your search rankings but deliver absolutely nothing for your reader? It’s fluff. That blurb right before the piece starts whose sole purpose is to insert a couple of profitable keywords? It’s fluff. Those extra paragraphs that repeat an idea already expressed just so you can satisfy word count requirements? You guess it – fluff.
When you declare something as a particular adjective – whether it’s amazing, amusing or great – without detailing the reasons for being so, you’re polluting the content pool with fluff. Lying to get attention, publishing unverified facts and outright falsifying claims is the same way – a big, fat ball of fluffy air.
If you’re going to write, make your words count. Even the best English writing software won’t help you when you’re not communicating substance. Every time you write, make sure that:
1. They give the readers information; or
2. They clarify an issue the readers are having.
When any word, phrase, sentence or paragraph you put on doesn’t accomplish that, then it’s clear as day – you’re writing fluff. Go back and change it, please.
