Avoiding Unnecessary Explanations To Keep Your Writing Engaging

Writing Tip: To differentiate your writing from AI, skip the detailed explanations of everything, and save them for the subjects that require them. Thoroughness across the board is robotic; applying selective, strategic thoroughness is a valuable human skill. 

If asked a simple question, like "Why is the sky blue?" ChatGPT doesn't just answer with an equally short explanation. It will defer back to that listicle-style response. AI writing tools default to an in-depth, robust explanation for things, no matter the question.

Let’s try it. We asked ChatGPT why the sky is blue, and it generated a 200-word response, detailing sunlight’s journey through the atmosphere, the British physicist who named that phenomenon, and some thoughts on how the upper atmosphere absorbs violet light. We then prompted ChatGPT to answer the question in one sentence, in fewer than 15 words. It answered: “The sky is blue due to the scattering of sunlight by the atmosphere.” That’s better!

So while it’s not impossible for ChatGPT to provide brief, succinct answers, those answers require additional prompting. ChatGPT defers to thorough, comprehensive answers for prompts both long and short. 

It makes sense that ChatGPT would default to longer answers. The tool caters to a wide range of users, some of whom have limited knowledge on the subjects they’re querying. Longer answers can appeal to users who need a wealth of information and an in-depth breakdown of the subject at hand.  And for the others, they can take what they want and move on. 

You don’t need to skip over necessary details in an effort to differentiate your writing from AI. In academic or professional work, sometimes those long explanations are needed. But sometimes, they aren’t. Don’t dive into additional complexities for the sake of thoroughness. Part of the skill of human writing lies in logical thinking, and deciding which details need to be explored and which can be quickly named and then closed out. 

Brevity is a tool, not an absolute rule. Balance informativeness with conciseness, and try to provide just enough detail to satisfy the query without overwhelming or under-informing your reader. After drafting your response, review it with a critical eye. Look for opportunities to streamline your writing by tightening the phrasing.