Lately I’ve been feeling like less is more…
But the world seems to be moving in the opposite direction—more content, more noise, more pressure to do everything.
As a writer, I’m finding myself craving simplicity again. Fewer words, but more meaning.
Curious—has your writing been reflecting that too? Or are you leaning into “more” right now?
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I hear you completely. I've hand written my notes for my next book. I just wanted to sit in the sunshine, in my backyard, as far away from tech as I could and created stories like I was a kid again. I drew little pictures of what the characters could look like and watched my handwriting turn from very neat to absolute chicken scratch. I'm craving simplicity when my role in publishing is to promote the opposite. Great post and yes, I can relate!
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I feel the same. My scripts are very streamlined and paired down and pitching it, almost every feedback response I get is typically the same "we need more and a twist". I've compromised somewhat to give the gist of what these producers want but I don't want to get away from the initial core of my story and what I want it to be. More tends to bog it down, lowering it to melodrama, and a twist is just cheap audience engagement; it tends to make the viewing experience a single-use experience.
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100%, I love simplicity because it’s so scarce in real life lol. It’s also why my stuff has more understated conflict rather than blatant (internal is a lot more interesting to me than external; my characters often clue in when they’re the problem).
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Kat, I feel this a lot lately. It almost feels like everything is pushing toward more output, more speed, more noise — but not necessarily more depth.
I’ve actually been leaning more into simplicity too, trying to say less but mean more. It’s harder in a way, because you can’t hide behind volume — every word has to carry weight.
Curious though — do you find that simplicity comes naturally when you write, or is it something you have to consciously pull back to?
Kat Spencer For me, I’ve definitely had to catch myself in that tendency. When I start adding more, it’s usually a sign that I’m trying to solve something instead of refining what’s already there. And often, the stronger choice is actually to strip things back and ask, “What is this really about, and what’s the cleanest way to express it?” It’s so easy to equate more with better, more plot, more characters, more layers, more explanation, especially when the world around us feels like it’s constantly accelerating. But some of the most impactful storytelling comes from clarity and intention, not volume.