1️⃣ TREE 701: Say one thing

TREE was a lockdown project. I wanted something to start my day with that wasn’t social media or news. When I couldn’t find anything that I liked, I decided to make it myself. Now we’re 700 posts in and the time seems right to write five rules that govern how I make a TREE post. I don’t always follow them perfectly.

1. Say one thing

A TREE post should be 250 words or less. There’s room for one succinct point. I want to tell you one thing that I hope will get your brain thinking and stick with you for longer than it takes to read. I do not meander. I do not try to squeeze in a second subject. If I think of something good to say that doesn’t fit the subject, it can wait.

If I say one thing well today, you are more likely to tap open the next thing I have to say tomorrow.

This rule can be applied elsewhere too. If you say one thing that gracefully fills the given space, you are more likely to be given the opportunity to say another thing than if you try to squish in two or three or six things.

Keep this in mind next time you write an essay, presentation, speech or song.

Notice how Darren’s hair, shirt and nose work together to say one thing, and that one thing is, ‘Huh.’

I’ve been enjoying Hemlocke Springs lately.

Grow slowly
Jeff

P.S. My book says several things but one at a time. If it was a hit movie, it might be called Some Things Some Places Sequentially.