Prune a story
“Prune: to reduce especially by eliminating superfluous matter.”
We need to keep this word in mind. It helps us with our work.
Take writing:
When I first write, there is an impulse to cover all the bases. I need my idea to make sense to everyone the way I see it.
The result is I over-explain in my writing, and it turns into rambling.
Nobody likes rambling Adam. He’s annoying. He is too busy making sure you “get it” instead of making sure you engage.
Engagement happens with curiosity. You need to “leave them wanting more.”
It’s no good when you give the game away. That’s why textbooks don’t sell unless we have to buy.
Great pruning can turn a textbook into a story.
It gives your work a chance to matter.
From the desk of Adam Thomas 