say less 01: and less was said
a challenge to say something good in less than 500 words
My sister and I speak in echoes. Her thoughts reflect mine. Mine reverberate off hers, like sound coming home to itself.
When I whisper my wanting, she never asks why.
Just lifts an eyebrow and says, “Say less.”
Which is to say: I heard everything, even what remains unsaid
I lean in, steady, and answer, “And less was said.”
Which is to say: I meant that shit.
I’ve been thinking a lot about brevity lately.
How a few good words can linger longer than whole chapters. How a single line, placed just right, can gut you.
Can gather you.
Can stay with you like scent in a scarf.
Some writers do that for me.
Craft whole worlds in a couplet.
Boil the body down to a brushstroke.
I trust their sentences like I trust my own name.1
“I have come to believe over and over again that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood….” - Audre Lorde ; Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches
Say less was born in the quiet between dancing minds.
A kind of shorthand that assumes kinship. Belief. Recognition.
What we trim from our sentences, we add to our silences and in that space, we become.
“No person is your friend (or kin) who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow and be perceived as fully blossomed as you were intended.” — Alice Walker
Not every sermon needs an altar call. Not everything needs to be tidy.
Sometimes the truth just wants to stretch its legs without commentary.
Sometimes it wants to sneak in through the side door and sit next to you real quiet-like, so you don’t realize it’s there until roots have already split the floorboards.
Brevity is a luxury,
one my grandmothers bartered for with their silence.
I spend it freely.
This is an experiment. A warm-up. A clearing. Me getting out of my own way.
There’s a kind of play in writing like:
I said what I meant the first time.
I let the words arrive how they want to.
I believe my voice, even in fragments.
A kind of courage. That’s soulwork, too.
Just me, showing up. Saying the thing.
And less was said.
There are several writers on Substack who do so much with few words.
is the inspiration behind the “crafting worlds in couplets” line. I am also inspired by ’s personal challenge to write reflections under 500 words. I am also often deeply moved by how much can say in a short Musing. I stand on the shoulders of giants.