Writing Perfection By Reduction

What you take out is more important than what you leave in

Thomas Plummer
Published in
11 min readSep 28, 2024

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By Cyano66 on iStock (image licensed by author)

Good writing is more about what you take out than what you leave in, and experienced writers learn reduction through tight editing is the path to perfection in their creations.

Alberto Giacometti, a renowned artist from the twentieth century was known for his sculpture, drawings, and design, but his most recognized works are his sculptures of women. He spent years working on the same piece, slowly molding down his work, believing the more he reduced and subtracted, the more beauty revealed through his art.

New writers cling to the opposite view, believing more is better, and most new writers hate to edit, meaning remove, any of what they write. Once written, every word becomes a vital part of the work to them, and too many newly developing writers refuse to edit what it took so long to create.

Here are a few thoughts on the art of reduction

Never write without an expected outcome for this piece

What is the main theme or point I am trying to make with what I am writing? We often start a piece based upon a quick idea, then shift our path while we are into the process. Most of the nonfiction you write…

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Thomas Plummer
Blue Insights

A simple life dedicated to leaving the world a little better than I found it. Long career in the business of fitness, writer of books, speaker, personal coach.