It’s the old line by Blaise Pascal in 1657 about writing as reduction: “I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.”
I have the time, and I know I can be wordy. That can be a strength rather than a weakness, since I collaborate on books and long-form reports that people want to read.
I often ask AI to help me cut a draft by 30 percent, then I go through its suggestions one by one. It’s remarkably good at trimming fat. I’m a Tex-pat, and by birth a fan of fatty brisket, so I know juicy, delicious fat.
What the machine can’t do is ask the questions in interviews, recognize the arresting detail, spot the inconsistencies and logical gaps, worry about how someone else might demolish the argument with the cut of their jib or a sideways glance.
It helps to have studied poetry. It also helps to know how to construct an argument, dismantle one, and challenge an author’s thinking without losing their trust.
In the end, informational density comes from paying attention. I look carefully, and notice. I remember almost everything I read for a while. I think a lot, and people pay me for that.
It’s a lot cheaper than paying for tokens by the prompt.