The Wadsworth Constant
On just how much to skip things you see online
The Wadsworth Constant says that you can safely skip the first 30% of anything you see online. (It was meant for YouTube videos, but it applies just as well to writing).
This is one of those annoying pieces of advice that remains applicable even after you know it. Somehow, whenever I finish a draft, my first few paragraphs almost always contain ideas that were necessary for writing the rest of the piece, but that aren’t necessary for understanding it. It’s like I’m giving someone a tour of my hometown and I start by showing them all the dead ends.
Via this excellent post, 28 slightly rude notes on writing.
Soon after I learned about the Wadsworth Constant, I spotted it in a big list of eponymous laws.
This also relates to a communication principle from the military I learned recently, BLUF, or bottom line up front. Meaning communicate key information first. Which goes against the Wadwworth Constant, but now those ideas are connected in my mind.