{"id":197,"date":"2026-04-21T17:53:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T17:53:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/symcox.co.uk\/?p=197"},"modified":"2026-08-05T11:51:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T11:51:48","slug":"why-youre-over-explaining-and-why-it-weakens-your-memoir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/symcox.co.uk\/index.php\/why-youre-over-explaining-and-why-it-weakens-your-memoir\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You\u2019re Over-Explaining (And Why It Weakens Your Memoir)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You\u2019re not under-explaining your memoir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You\u2019re over-explaining it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most writers assume that if something isn\u2019t landing, it needs more detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>More background.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>More context.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>More explanation of what it meant.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So they add it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And the writing gets heavier \u2014 not clearer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What you think you\u2019re doing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You\u2019re trying to help the reader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You want them to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Understand the situation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See why it matters<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Not miss anything important<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So you explain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What the reader actually experiences<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They slow down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The moment gets delayed.<br>The impact softens.<br>The writing starts to feel dense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not because the story is weak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because the experience is being explained instead of felt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where over-explaining shows up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It usually appears in the same places:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Before the moment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You explain the situation before showing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The reader hasn\u2019t experienced anything yet \u2014 but they\u2019re already being told what it means.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. After the moment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You explain what just happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead of letting it land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Inside the moment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You interrupt the scene to clarify.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The reader is pulled out of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nothing looks obviously wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the writing loses impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why you can\u2019t see it<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because you already know the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You know:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Who people are<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What\u2019s about to happen<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Why it matters<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So when something is only half on the page, you don\u2019t notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You fill in the gaps automatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The reader can\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The simple shift<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead of asking:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHave I explained this enough?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ask:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHas the reader experienced this yet?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the answer is no:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Move the moment forward<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cut the explanation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Let the experience come first<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then \u2014 if needed \u2014 add meaning after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What this changes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When you remove over-explaining:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The writing becomes lighter<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The scene lands faster<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The reader stays inside the moment<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nothing dramatic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But everything works better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The problem underneath<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over-explaining isn\u2019t really about explanation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s about control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You\u2019re trying to make sure the reader understands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the result is that they feel less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If your memoir feels heavier than it should<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is usually where to look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not the sentences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The way the experience is being delivered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019ve broken down the underlying issue here: <a href=\"https:\/\/symcox.co.uk\/why-your-memoir-feels-flat-even-when-the-story-matters\/\">Why your memoir feels flat even when the story matters<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you want to see exactly where over-explaining is weakening your own draft, send 500\u20131,000 words:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/symcox.co.uk\/work-with-me\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"20\">Work With Me<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You\u2019re not under-explaining your memoir. You\u2019re over-explaining it. That\u2019s the problem. Most writers assume that if something isn\u2019t landing, it needs more detail. So they add it. And the writing gets heavier \u2014 not clearer. What you think you\u2019re doing You\u2019re trying to help the reader. You want them to: So you explain. What the &#8230; <a title=\"Why You\u2019re Over-Explaining (And Why It Weakens Your Memoir)\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/symcox.co.uk\/index.php\/why-youre-over-explaining-and-why-it-weakens-your-memoir\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Why You\u2019re Over-Explaining (And Why It Weakens Your Memoir)\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[3],"class_list":["post-197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-memoir","tag-memoir"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/symcox.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/symcox.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/symcox.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/symcox.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/symcox.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=197"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/symcox.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":198,"href":"https:\/\/symcox.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197\/revisions\/198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/symcox.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/symcox.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/symcox.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}