I’m not sure why, but I just flashed on this great little writing exercise I gave myself while in high school. Despite occasional praise from teachers, I found that my writing was very poor at that point in time. In considering ways I might challenge myself or improve my skills, I came up with this:

Write one page of sensible text without using the words “the”, “and”, “of”, “to” or “a”.

Despite its seemingly simple instructions, I found that this exercise really challenged me. It forced analytical thought, therefore resulting in more concise text. Moreover, it often resulted in more effective text.

If you write regularly, try it. You will be amazed at how difficult avoiding these five little crutches can be. It is an uncomplicated exercise that will dramatically improve your writing skills.

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Barring necessary mention, this post does not include any words forbidden by its proposed exercise.