Focus keeps an article centered on its main goal and the audience’s reason for reading. Cut or connect anything that does not clearly advance that goal, because readers quickly lose patience with scenic side trips. section 5.2 section 5.2.2
Run a focused revision pass:
- Write the article’s one-sentence goal where you can see it while revising. section 5.2.2
- Consider what this particular audience wants; material useful to one audience may be unnecessary to another. section 5.2.2
- Skim section by section and paragraph by paragraph, looking for material that does not logically relate to the goal. section 5.2.2
- Tie a diversion into the article with a few words or a sentence when the connection is natural; otherwise remove it. section 5.2.2
- Repurpose worthwhile material that does not fit as a social post, discussion thread, or follow-up article. section 5.2.2
The skeptical-peer test
Suppose a paragraph about bloated code discusses performance, but the article’s goal concerns a different reader problem. Ask whether you could defend its connection before skeptical peers. If the explanation is strained, cut the paragraph or give it another home. section 5.2.2
Focus also provides a readiness check: confirm that the draft reflects the intended ideas, addresses focus, flow, and facts, receives a clear title and introduction, and achieves its stated goal before sending it for review. section 6.4.3
Adapt the same discipline when changing formats or audiences. A community-specific article may need revision for its product or project, while a conference talk should be even tighter than a blog post. section 15.5.2 section 16.4.1
