Writing Concisely


I constantly struggle against unnecessary artificial complexity and find myself uncomfortable when someone wants to communicate with me in an unnecessarily convoluted way. Likewise, I like to be straightforward and direct when I communicate, even, and especially, in more formal environments.

The consideration that might seem obvious, however, is that writing well and concisely takes time, effort, and skill. It is much easier to let yourself go to an uncontrolled river of words, fueling the selfishness of unloading on others the task of extracting its value. “What do I care? I told you, now it’s up to you to do something about it.”

Writing effectively and efficiently is a service rendered to others. It requires love, dedication but also the time and resources needed to do it. How do we always keep it short and direct?

My solution: write a lot, about everything, often. Reread everything, cut and forge sentences with our interlocutors in mind. It is a job, a discipline, an art. Never sufficiently appreciated and practiced.

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