Brevity

is the soul of wit and also something I lack. I like words, and I like stringing 'em along until I run out.

But 8-10 and 10-15 page requirements on subjects that really don't need that many are making me reassess.

I think I am prone to word-clutter. Maybe not a big deal when scribbling in notebooks. But too many paragraphs on a blog can be scary. If I want to be able to turn out quality, to-the-point material... well. Out comes the chopping block.

Writing in the smaller notebooks I've been getting instead of full-size ones seems to be helping. So does waiting till I have something specific to say, instead of putting down everything I think of just as a sort of mental occupation.

It has often been said there's so much to be read,
you never can cram all those words in your head.
So the writer who breeds more words than he needs
is making a chore for the reader who reads.
That's why my belief is the briefer the brief is,
the greater the sigh of the reader's relief is.

-Dr. Seuss