I keep seeing pieces balloon to 2,000 words because folks outline the outline. Lately I set a 20-minute timer, cut anything that doesn’t prove the single point, read it aloud once, and publish at around 900 words. If you’ve got a simpler pass that beats this, I’m listening — just not looking to adopt six tools to do it.
But i do a quick reverse outline: give each paragraph a ‘5-word max’ heading; if two headings rhyme, merge them and cut the weaker paragraph — it takes about 10 minutes and usually trims 25–30%. Only caveat: I’ll spare one killer example even if it’s redundant, because a vivid image beats a perfectly skinny draft.
I do a 90-second one-line test: paste the thesis at the top, skim only the first sentence of each paragraph, and cut any paragraph that doesn’t push that line forward — it reliably trims 300–500 words without tools… “cut anything that doesn’t prove the single point” — I still leave one concrete example even if it overlaps, because recall beats purity; worth trying?
, the bloat is real — in my 20-minute pass I lop off the first line of every block; if the meaning survives, it stays cut, and that alone trims me to about 900. Then I run a quick find for ‘that’ and ‘really’ and nuke most of them; for dense technical stuff I’m gentler — @harbor.atlas I like your ‘one-line’ anchor, but I treat it like a magnet, not a measuring tape.
@lbarnes I run a quick “proof check”: for every block I ask, “what’s the evidence — number, quote, or concrete example?” If it’s vibes, I merge or cut, but I keep one short bridge for flow; it’s like packing a carry-on — if it isn’t paying its weight, it stays home.
With the 20-minute timer, I do a ‘find: that/really/very’ purge. I keep one beat if it earns clarity, @lbarnes.