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  "path": "/posts/2025/06/25/more-concise-writing1750835002/",
  "publishedAt": "2025-06-25T07:03:22.000Z",
  "site": "https://brainsteam.co.uk",
  "tags": [
    "pkm",
    "blogging",
    "communication",
    "Keenan",
    "Annie"
  ],
  "textContent": "I've recently noticed and zeroed-in on something that I've been doing for years. I'm a very verbose writer. More specifically, I write with a lot of asides and footnotes which makes the structure of my sentences overly complex. I also write long documents when short ones will do. I offer a lot of surplus explanation and exposition where it probably isn't required.\n\nMy writing style is such because I like to \"show my working\" when it comes to my thought processes. I do this to try to clarify my intent and second-guess possible critiques of my writing in advance. I'll typically do this if I'm talking to someone that I'm worried will be critical of my writing. Essentially I'm over-thinking but in writing... Unfortunately this often has the opposite effect of making my writing harder to read and confusing my intent.\n\nTwo recent examples come to mind:\n\n  * I needed to schedule a 30 minute meeting with a colleague and we both have busy calendars. I over-shared and over-thought putting in an early-for-me call: \"I don't mind starting early, I have a medical appointment later so I need to make the time up anyway...\" We are on good terms socially but I still don't imagine my colleague doesn't care about why I'm happy to start early.\n  * I wanted to share an event with a group that someone else at work owns. I could have asked them \"do you mind if I share X event with the group?\" Instead, I sent a long rambling email about how I didn't want to tread on any toes and I'd already checked in with Y person and the event is on Z date and...\" you get the picture.\n\n\n\nIn both of these examples, I undermined the clarity of my messages by overthinking the reader's reaction and trying to account for possible negative reactions. Sometimes context is necessary but nobody should have to read multiple paragraphs of overthinking answer a simple yes/no question. Not a good look...\n\nI've been told by a lot of people that I write well but I look at the amazing work of people like Keenan and Annie who are able to concisely and clearly write about emotive topics and I realise that I could do a lot better. A lot of my blog posts end up being unnecessarily long.\n\nI plan to practise writing more clearly and concisely starting with this post.",
  "title": "More Concise Writing",
  "updatedAt": "2026-06-13T20:51:47.274Z"
}