Write better with rules

Elen Lewis says using constraints can inject magic and creativity into your business writing

Constraints have a creative effect on language. Douglas R Hofstader said: “I suspect the welcoming of constraints is, at bottom, the deepest secret of creativity.” And it’s true. They help you produce better writing and ensure you enjoy the process of choosing words.

Constraints can come in many different forms. French novelist Georges Perec wrote a novel, La Disparation, without using a single ‘e’.

As part of a writer’s organisation, 26, I have contributed to a project called 26 Treasures. I was paired with two treasures, one from the V&A, and one from the National Library of Wales and asked to write a 62-word poem, coined a ‘sestude’. In the latest project, my poem will be exhibited next to Princess Leia at the Museum of Childhood. I get to write about Star Wars.

So what was the point of constraining the work to 62 words? Most importantly, it made it easier. Here was a frame to work from – a starting point. Every word counted. I started picking the language apart. How could I make every word work harder? ‘Darkness covers’ in the first draft became ‘darkness cloaks’.

The Oxford English Dictionary estimates that there are 750,000 different words in the English language. Yet the number of words an average person uses ranges from a few thousand to tens of thousands.

Another useful constraint that helps to hone choice of words is working through the alphabet from A to Z, beginning each sentence with the next letter in the alphabet. It’s not as hard as it sounds: All I want to say is believe. Craft those words, dare. Everyone is liberated by constraints, finally.

Your turn. Take the opening paragraph of a presentation and rewrite the sentences using this constraint. You’ll be forced to think precisely about the words you use. See where it takes you.

This article featured in Market Leader, July 2012.

Elen Lewis is director of The Business Writing Academy. Send your business writing thoughts and questions to

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