Balancing Speed and Substance

Better writing in the digital age

I tuned into one of my favorite podcasts recently-one that covers various geeky topics through in-depth interviews. Listening to these podcasts is one way to feed my curiosity, and I admire the host’s skills.

This episode, every time the host asked a question, the guest wandered around it, working their way toward an answer after many digressions.

This happened not once, but again and again. Every question led to a meandering discursion. The host tried to keep the flow of the conversation moving, but it was a struggle. As a listener, I gave up and turned it off.

Not everyone is good at speaking on-the-fly in a podcast interview. For many, this skill develops over time, with practice and a deep familiarity with the subject. I confess I still work at it.

This experience got me thinking about writing. (To be fair, I’m always thinking about writing.)

When we write for other people, we act as both podcast guest and host. Like the guest, we have a wealth of things to say and an infinity of words at our disposal. As the host, we care about the audience experience and want to follow a general structure.

Too often in the everyday world, we neglect our duties as host. We assume that whatever…