#1.) Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States, was shot by a killer named Boothe.
#2.) Abraham Lincoln was shot by a killer named Boothe.
Sentence #2 is more powerful, because it is not weighed down by unnecessary words. Big, fat, heavy sentences that cannot hold their own weight are very cumbersome to the reader. They are tedious to read and interpret.
Taking this idea a step further, let the reader sometimes do the work of interpreting what you write. Don't spoon feed them and rob them of the opportunity to experience their own insight. For example:
#1.) The sound of the piano will always remind me of my dead little brother, who enjoyed playing piano very much. I like to visit his grave and play a little tune on an electric keyboard.
#2.) The sound of the piano will always remind me of my dead little brother. I like to visit his grave and play a little tune.
Example #2 is not as informative, but it let's the reader achieve a profound state of mind. You want the reader to have a profound state of mind when reading. Let the reader do some of the work. Let her wonder.
Make it your priority that you give the reader images and concepts without a lot of unnecessary detail. Do not waste a single word.
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