Writing About Complex Stuff Without Sending People Running

But here’s the thing: I love writing about complex topics. The trick is not to make them sound simple — it’s to make them make sense.

The goal isn’t dumbing down

When people talk about “simplifying” content, it’s often misunderstood as reducing it to the lowest common denominator. But complexity isn’t the problem — opacity is. My job isn’t to flatten nuance or skip the detail. It’s to guide someone through it with a flashlight and a map.

That means:

• Knowing when to slow down and when to zoom out
• Picking examples that actually land (no one needs another metaphor about rocket science)
• Pacing the information so it builds, instead of collapsing like an overstuffed drawer

The curse of too much knowledge

One of the biggest challenges in long-form writing is that the more research you do, the harder it becomes to un-know things. Suddenly, everything feels important. Every acronym feels relevant. Every clause feels like a dealbreaker.

That’s when I stop and ask: What would I have wanted to know first, if I were reading this a week ago? If I can build from that point, I’m usually on the right track.

Making people feel smart

My favourite feedback isn’t “this is a great article.” It’s: “this helped me understand something I never thought I could.” If someone leaves your piece feeling smarter — not because you were smart, but because they were — that’s the magic.

So yes, I’ll take property tax over punchy slogans any day. Because turning complex into clear? That’s where the real creativity is.