A Simple Drafting Technique to Help Reduce Redlines
We’ve all heard the recommendations like “write shorter sentences” and “use fewer words.”
But I’ve always found those unhelpful:
❌ They don’t have an actionable goal.
❌ The verbs - “write” and “use” - imply doing more, not less.
❌ They’re better suited for editing, not drafting.
Instead, I like this drafting technique:
End the sentence sooner.
Why?
✅ It gives you a clear goal: ending the sentence.
✅ The verb - “end” - implies less, not more.
✅ You can apply it as you’re drafting.
So how does it help avoid redlines?
Redlines happen for lots of different reasons.
Some are legitimate and some are silly, like capitalizing the word “Party.” But once somebody makes one redline, they’re in Redline Mode , so they’re likely to make more redlines. One way to reduce relines is to have fewer things to redline.
Ending your sentences sooner helps do this.
As you draft, ask yourself: How can I end this sentence sooner?
You’ll naturally use fewer words, write shorter sentences, and give whoever reviews your contract less to redline.
And get this:
They’ve studied people’s eye movements as they read.
When we hit the end of a sentence, we pause. We gather our thoughts. Then we move to the next sentence.
The longer the sentence, the more information our brain has to capture and hold. If we apply this to redlining, the more information our brain is capturing and holding, the more information our brain has to think about all sorts of potential redlines.
But the sooner the sentence ends, the sooner we stop and move on.
Hopefully without any redlines!
End the sentence sooner.
What are your favorite drafting techniques to reduce redlines?
But I’ve always found those unhelpful:
❌ They don’t have an actionable goal.
❌ The verbs - “write” and “use” - imply doing more, not less.
❌ They’re better suited for editing, not drafting.
Instead, I like this drafting technique:
End the sentence sooner.
Why?
✅ It gives you a clear goal: ending the sentence.
✅ The verb - “end” - implies less, not more.
✅ You can apply it as you’re drafting.
So how does it help avoid redlines?
Redlines happen for lots of different reasons.
Some are legitimate and some are silly, like capitalizing the word “Party.” But once somebody makes one redline, they’re in Redline Mode , so they’re likely to make more redlines. One way to reduce relines is to have fewer things to redline.
Ending your sentences sooner helps do this.
As you draft, ask yourself: How can I end this sentence sooner?
You’ll naturally use fewer words, write shorter sentences, and give whoever reviews your contract less to redline.
And get this:
They’ve studied people’s eye movements as they read.
When we hit the end of a sentence, we pause. We gather our thoughts. Then we move to the next sentence.
The longer the sentence, the more information our brain has to capture and hold. If we apply this to redlining, the more information our brain is capturing and holding, the more information our brain has to think about all sorts of potential redlines.
But the sooner the sentence ends, the sooner we stop and move on.
Hopefully without any redlines!
End the sentence sooner.
What are your favorite drafting techniques to reduce redlines?