Succinct

Succinct?  Who me?

Be succinct.  Remember that elegant writing takes careful effort.  It takes
multiple drafts.  It takes writing, walking away, thinking it over, returning,
editing, substituting, refining, and then seeking and using feedback.

Do you think Mark Twain really said, “If I had more time I would have written a shorter letter”? Google says it might have been Blaise Paschall. The premise is that writing a more concise and to the point letter, takes time.

If perfection is the enemy of the good, why isn’t succinctness the enemy of what we can say with too many words?

Some people take editing to a new level. Have you noticed how some folks are so busy mentally editing that they can’t respond to a question? They are like deer in headlights, because they are processing and drilling down to a one liner. If they don’t have enough time, they are without a sensible response.

Some people edit their emails down to a state of terseness. Email is not the most warm and fuzzy venue of communication. If it’s “less is more and more is less”…..I wonder what is really being said. Example: If you had a great story to tell that would set up a situation and make your teasing more palatable, you would be well advised to type it all and then tease. If you tease without the other person understanding the background, you could offend.  Do you think you could really get this  message with just the last few words? I think it takes the example in the narrative to drive the point home.

Personally, I don’t like succinct. I don’t like the way it sounds.It’s harsh. Let me see what Merriam Webster thinks.

a: being girded b:  close-fitting :  marked by compact precise expression without wasted words