How to Overcome Resistance — Seth Godin

He argues that when writers try to compress a complex, heavily qualified idea into a short post, they often add clarifications and parentheticals to avoid being misunderstood, which makes the writing exhausting and drags the reader into a density the format doesn’t support.

Using Scott McCloud’s point that “something happens between the panels,” he frames good blog posts as sketches that invite the reader to do the connecting work, which turns a post into a dialogue rather than a lecture.

He suggests treating each major point as its own post (or as part of a clearly defined series) so the writer only has to “clear their throat” once, and the reader knows what experience they’re signing up for.

He describes rewriting posts the night before, rewarding himself for shortening (not lengthening), and calling a post done when it can’t be boiled down further without becoming misleading.

He says the blog’s purpose is to articulate something the reader already “sort of knows” in a way they’d be grateful to forward, emphasizing illumination over breaking news.