Note by Henrik Karlsson on Substack: "Early on I work on the macro structure of the essay and then I drop ideas as I try to make it come together. Toward the end, I try to drop things that make it more complex without adding much value. Also, I have a tendency to add too many metaphors so I need to cut a lot of thos…"

I’m glad it lives, I can never tell when I’m up close. This one woke me in the middle of the night last night and screamed to me that I had to write it all through once more and kill like ten darlings, a midnight massacre. (Don’t you love how the midnight massacre is what brings it all to life?) I’m currently writing about the symbiotic relationship between monogamy and autonomy — a similar context to “coevolutionary loops.” Your essay has sparked many ideas - I’d love to tag you when I’m done and see if it resonates. :) Yes! Please do that. And yes, everything you cut makes what remains more potent. I often tell myself to cut at least 10 percent when I think it is done. Of that 10%, how do you decide what to cut? You write with such richness — do you cut language or ideas first? Early on I work on the macro structure of the essay and then I drop ideas as I try to make it come together. Toward the end, I try to drop things that make it more complex without adding much value. Also, I ha

I’m glad it lives, I can never tell when I’m up close. This one woke me in the middle of the night last night and screamed to me that I had to write it all through once more and kill like ten darlings, a midnight massacre. (Don’t you love how the midnight massacre is what brings it all to life?) I’m currently writing about the symbiotic relationship between monogamy and autonomy — a similar context to “coevolutionary loops.” Your essay has sparked many ideas - I’d love to tag you when I’m done and see if it resonates. :) Yes! Please do that. And yes, everything you cut makes what remains more