Economical
Shepard never wastes words. His characters talk to each other like they are simply having a conversation, and he manages to get his points across in a very short time. When poetic language enters into the equation, it stands out, and it's often commented on. For the most part, these characters keep it simple.
A conversation about the changing landscape and the decay of the Old West could, in the hands of some playwrights, turn into a lengthy monologue or a series of poetic images and symbols. Here is how Shepard handles it in True West:
LEE: Up here it's different. This country's real different.
AUSTIN: Well, it's been built up.
LEE: Built up? Wiped out is more like it. I don't even hardly recognize it. (1.2.68-71)
In those few short lines, Shepard gives us an idea of what has happened to the region. More important, he gives us a sense that Lee is not comfortable with the way things have changed. He also shows the difference between how Austin views progress ("built up") and how Lee views the same progress ("wiped out"), which gives us a strong sense of the differences between the two brothers. Shepard managed to do all of that in just a few simple lines. That, my friends, is an economical writing style.