Why Do I Write Whole Paragraphs And Go Off On Many Tangents?

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For some reason I write and write and write where a few words or even one word would have answered the question. I tend to sometimes write soo much that I never post the things because I go off on so many tangents that I forget the origional question or point I was trying to raise. I do this while talking as well. I don't often actually answer the questions in ways in which I intended to.
I wrote this in the autism section as someone once said that it maybe linked? Not sure.
But it is annoying in conversations when everyone moves on as I have not reached the point where I have intended to reach.

Same here!

In addition to conversationally and in writing I was also (I think affectionately) informed by one of the tutors that my take on the briefs for design projects at uni were “tangential and unexpected”.

I was just enjoying myself responding to the problems thus presented.

Several of my posts on here have gone on rather overlong when I reread them after posting.

Yep....that's my style of writing when I do "free association."

"Going off on tangents," to me, is very much like classic Freudian psychoanalysis. People "free associate" when they are on the couch in therapy. They let their mind sort of "wander."

Nothing unusual. We all do it!! !

But do you often never end up posting things you have written, or in conversation do you rarely ever reach the point that you were trying to get across?

Other people don't seem to have these issues. When they speak they go straight to the point.

Sometimes I do have too many connected points and forget the main reason for discussing the topic.

Sometimes I don't.

Usually on an anonymous forum like this I hit send with less hesitation, but sometimes when I'm mad at a person who knows me IRL I'll write a monograph about it and then let it sit in my drafts folder or maybe I'll just delete it. Writing things, even if you don't share them can be nice. For me it helps me sort though my thoughts and feelings to read over what I wrote again and again.

I thought this was part of MountainGoatitis ... Actually quite endearing, so I wouldn't worry. My Dad was the same. He liked having me around while he did all sorts of DIY, as besides getting me to foolishly hold the nail, while he hammered, he could talk at me for as long as he wished, as I was so quiet ...

Frequently when speaking in conversation: I often feel I haven’t even got to the real point, just laid out the opening parameters (and I tend to experience all contributions by others as unwelcome tangents to boot! why can’t they just sit back and wait for me to finish! at least I can laugh at myself about these days )

I’m much better at getting to the point or keeping on topic when writing: the ability to go back and edit before posting is in constant use... although it can lead to grammatical glitches.

And as was noted above: tangential directions in speech and writing are in part a biproduct of ones unique set of knowledge and experience and how they link together... sometimes the diversion is the route

I find this soo easy to do. Often doing it.

MountainGoatitis. Hahahaha!

Opening parameters - quote of the year

I don't know why you do it, Mountain Goat, but don't ever stop!

Cheers!

I do this sometimes. When I notice that I've written a lot, I like to refer back to the original question or prompt. I read back my first few points and try to figure out where I was originally going with my response. Then I try to write a small conclusion wrapping up my reply. If I find that I can't do this, I read my post to find any unnecessary paragraphs or verbose statements that could be shortened or removed.

Admittedly I am quite critical of my writing. I see old posts here that I regret phrasing in a particular way. How strictly I enforce my own personal guidelines in my writing can vary. If I am tired or simply not in the mood I might not stick to certain stylistic choices and I might make silly mistakes more frequently. There has definitely been a significant amount of posts I've made on this site that probably should have been shorter.

Haha.