A set of brackets is a barrier to understanding between the reader and the writer.
– [https://slate.com/human-interest/2021/02/stop-defacing-quotes-with-brackets.html]
The quote in itself is a standalone reminder of presence of friction in writing. Any writing.
The linked story is also interesting, but this quote just jumped out of the text as I was reading it. Probably (am I just being apologetic?) because I tend to (BS! I do it all the time and with passion (whatever that means)) overuse(!) parentheses (and other fancy characters on my keyboard) and such (but I do not do it on purpose - well, it just feels right (sometimes, obviously)).
@FailForward
I would extend this even further: there are a lot of things that get between the reader and the message of the writing. It is author’s job to remove as many of these obstacles as possible while keeping the text enjoyable and colorful, fresh and juicy.
These things include, in my humble opinion, but are not limited by:
- adverbs (see S. King’s “On Writing”);
- brackets;
- excessive passive voice;
- complex sentences, as well as too lengthy ones;
- placing the subject too far from a predicate.
