Think you can't shorten your college essay to fit the word limit? Nonsense!

At Wow Writing Workshop, we've never seen a college application essay or grad school personal statement weakened by the editing process.  Here are five simple tips for trimming your stories without compromising content.

1. Before you begin editing, open a new document. Instead of cutting and pasting your original essay, print it out and retype it so you can really see your work. You will be more likely to notice redundancies, passive voice and unnecessary words.

2. Now search for adverbs. These include "very" and many "ly" words, such as really, extremely, completely and absolutely. Highlight them. Make sure you need them. Take out the rest. You can always put them back later.

Click here to read the rest of the tips in this week's blog.