Going Into Excessive Detail

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18 Jan 2011, 5:12 pm

In my case it can be hard to summarize even most of the time. I don't know what's up with that entirely, other than that any summary doesn't seem accurate enough, even if I can come up with one. And with big/small picture I was meaning stuff people were talking about elsewhere in the thread.

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Severus
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18 Jan 2011, 5:23 pm

Verdandi wrote:

So one thing about my writing that's been pointed out to me (and that I didn't realize until it was) is that I tend to focus on specifics to build up to the general. I told an acquaintance last night that I felt like I could only describe a forest by describing each tree individually.

What happens is I tend to use multiple specific examples to build a pattern that I can then more easily talk about, that contains the set of experiences or details in my mental model, and is sort of specific in itself. I can't really talk about my sensory sensitivities without describing specific situations (or specific types of situations) in which they are triggered. Or I can't really talk about the general idea that I have executive functioning issues without describing these issues in detail - but since I have, it's easier now for me to simply say "I have executive functioning issues."

What this tends to come down to is really long posts to describe a few things to establish a foundation I can then generalize from. I've been told that this makes my writing fairly clear and explicit, but I wonder if I'm overdoing it.

Someone else suggested to me that this writing style is related to hyperlexia and that people who write like this tend to be on the spectrum. This was an informal observation, obviously, and not a diagnostic statement.

Verbally, I find I can't really do this. I either start repeating myself or get so lost in the details I have to stop and "reset" my thoughts so I can figure out what I'm trying to say. If I've already written about something, it is easier for me to talk about it, sometimes - but at that point I am essentially quoting and paraphrasing myself, and quoting and paraphrasing things I've heard or read is how I often verbally communicate (and often in chat/instant messaging as well).

I guess I'm wondering if anyone else can relate to this.

Oh yes. Perfectly. You are not alone at all in this.
What you describe is exactly my writing style and, thanks God, in my job it is considered an excellent writing style. I am the only one that gets to publish their papers right away, without much need for revision - if any. Though I acknowledge that it must be really boring in informal settings.
I once had a boyfriend who was really annoyed by my constant quoting when I spoke. Now I think about it, it was partly because he had not read any of the sources of my quotes and paraphrases and and partly because he felt that he could not say nothing new on which I could not deliver a quote. As of now, my husband is fascinated by my ability to memorize and quote and puts this ability to good use. So it is not a bad thing, after all.

Last edited by Severus on 18 Jan 2011, 5:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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18 Jan 2011, 5:25 pm

anbuend wrote:

Yeah, that makes sense. I mean, I can relate to the point that I have been outright told by blog owners to write shorter comments when I did set out to summarize, as one example. At the same time I know I have been able to summarize things when I've already gone over them in detail for myself.

Summaries are rarely accurate, I suspect. This may be why I end up arguing over details that I forget to include.

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18 Jan 2011, 5:40 pm

Severus wrote:

Yeah, my writing style actually served me pretty well several years ago, when I was actually paid to write, and my editors generally didn't ask for a lot of revision (except when I got tangled up in my own words, which unfortunately still does happen occasionally).

Do you ever hit a tangental thing that someone else says and supply a quote based on that and thus miss the entire point of what was said? I can easily get distracted by details like that and derail the conversation without even thinking about it.

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18 Jan 2011, 5:50 pm

Verdandi wrote:

Do you ever hit a tangental thing that someone else says and supply a quote based on that and thus miss the entire point of what was said? I can easily get distracted by details like that and derail the conversation without even thinking about it.

Again, oh very yes. I do that quite often.

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18 Jan 2011, 6:32 pm

Severus wrote:

Verdandi wrote:

Again, oh very yes. I do that quite often.

I can't begin to explain how good it feels to hear someone else does the same thing.

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18 Jan 2011, 6:40 pm

This feels like something I do, but I haven't yet definitely pattern-matched it with how I actually work so I'm not sure if I really do do it or not.

If it's something I do, I think I do it in speaking as well as in writing.

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18 Jan 2011, 7:00 pm

Verdandi wrote:

Verbally, I find I can't really do this. I either start repeating myself or get so lost in the details I have to stop and "reset" my thoughts so I can figure out what I'm trying to say.

I'm not sure if I experience what you described or at least not to the degree that you experience, but the quote above I can relate to. I tend to try explain something as an introduction, hoping that that will help the person(s) I'm talking to understand what I'm about to talk about, then I forget what specific point I was going to talk about. Its very frustrating.

And, yeah It's easier for me to write than it is to verbalize. Tend to ramble often. :lol:

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18 Jan 2011, 7:16 pm

I wonder how much this kind of thing affects the experience of the world other than speaking, reading, and writing in terms of a detailed orientated person; and how dyslexia or hyperlexia may affect a persons perception of the world in general in terms of how the brain may function differently.

For example, when I was given a list of things to do at work, I had a hard time relaxing until I had every detail figured out to complete the tasks. Another person could just lay it down and leave it for another day. I'm not sure how much nature or nurture is associated with it. It seems like the person that lays it down and leaves it for another day, might not be subject to as much anxiety.

If it is associated with brain function, too much complexity might not be good for a person like this. Complexity equals a higher level of detail. The Micro-manager vs. CEO delegation style of management might be a good analogy.

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18 Jan 2011, 7:57 pm

I definitely think my attention to detail and need for explaining things in detail affects how I experience the world.

Me: Like my new jacket? It's a beautiful grassy green with yellow stripes like taffy stretched from the shoulder blade right down to the wrist. It's made of nylon that just wraps around my body so snug. I even love the way the zipper pushes out, showing much more depth to the edges of my jacket.

Mum: yeah...it's just a green jacket.

I love getting stuck in the details sometimes.

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18 Jan 2011, 8:01 pm

My mom complains about how I ferret out details from others. She says I want to know every little thing, and I ask too many questions that drive people crazy.

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18 Jan 2011, 8:10 pm

Definitely a result of how I see the world. Perhaps not in the expected ways. Who knows. I can't seem to write in detail about this of all topics despite really wanting to. Think it's because I feel really lousy physically and can't figure out why. So every word seems to be difficult.

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18 Jan 2011, 8:11 pm

Sydehawk wrote:

I think I overstated that somewhat - I'm trying to come to terms with my verbal communication problems and establish how common they are - they had come up a lot recently, and have been on my mind in general over the past several months. I can do it, especially when it relates to my interests, but I am basically reciting/quoting things I already know and not formulating new thoughts, and it is significantly easier if I have written about it. What I meant is that there are times when it's much harder to say it than it should be.

I just spent the last hour telling my nephew about one of my interests, after all. On the other hand, it was a special interest I have spent years on and even did some professional work for. I think some of my verbal problems come from the fact that I hardly ever talk to people about my interests and focus primarily on things I need or things that are going on, and I am not always sure how to talk about these things and get stuck in scripts.

Then again, Most things I say about my interests feels scripted too. Hmm.

aghogday wrote:

I don't know. I do have this thing if I have something that needs to be done it's hard for me to relax and do other things until it's done. This sometimes leads to a lot of procrastination in all directions.

On the other hand, sometimes things just slip my mind entirely and I forget about them until something reminds me. But then, I have ADHD, so there's that.

I do think all of this affects how I see and experience the world. I have to learn all the details, know all the details, incorporate them, understand them, explain them. It's how things make sense to me.

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18 Jan 2011, 8:17 pm

anbuend wrote:

I hope that passes. Feeling lousy is not good.

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18 Jan 2011, 8:29 pm

Going on a vacation to a familiar spot. Remembering details of the clothing I wore on the previous trip and how it felt against my body. Comparing that to the way my clothing feels on the next trip. Most of my life these kind of details seemed to add to the richness of my experience of the world and helped me to enhance it. I feel like the pleasure I felt in life was enhanced because of it, but at times discomfort seemed enhanced as well.

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18 Jan 2011, 9:44 pm

devark wrote:

When I'm telling someone something I tend to go into such excessive detail that they often become impatient and ask me to get to the point. I just feel like if I don't put down the ground work for what I'm saying they won't understand my perspective or why I'm even talking (even though this often not the case).

Yes, that. A lot. In almost any conversation or email exchange that gets beyond simple "pleasantries."

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