…having said that, spending a lot of time on the internet, as I have

since 2002, has rubbed my nose in something that hadn’t really bothered

me before then: namely just how overwritten so many books and magazine

articles are. Seymour Hersh? He’s great. You could also cut every one

of his pieces by at least 50% and lose exactly nothing. And I’m not

picking on Hersh. At a guess, I’d say that two-thirds of the magazine

pieces I read could be sliced by nearly a third or more without losing

much. That’s true of a lot of books too.

Here is the full piece, by Kevin Drum. My view is that many readers want overwritten books to tranquillize themselves, just as they enjoy dull, soothing voices on the radio.

Readers, do you agree that most books are overwritten? Please write your opinion of Kevin Drum’s point in the comments and feel free to refer to specific books. My favorite rock star, the extraordinary Hillel, would like to again create a song from your opinions. I will link to the song once it is ready. Hillel assures me that the quality of his song will reflect the quality of your input. Be poetic! Think music! Overwrite, if you wish!