It’s a simple enough saying, but it carries a surprising amount of wisdom — it applies to many areas of life.
My father used to say “cut it out” when my brother and I fought in the back of the car (“cut it out” is of unclear origin, but the meaning is clear – someone wants you to stop a type of behaviour that is annoying them).
Being an adult involves leaving out parts of our behaviour. Humans battle to conquer an evolutionary legacy of hardwired emotions like fear, anger and joy. These originate in lower brain regions (e.g., amygdala, hypothalamus) and presumably were key to safety and survival.
Obviously you can’t be too critical and leave out everything you doubt in your behaviour or there might be nothing left!
In journalism, “If in doubt, leave it out”, is a key weapon in the armory of reporting.
Journalism relies on basic standards – one of which is that facts have to be verifiable. Unverified claims destroys the credibility of a story, particularly with people who don’t like the piece in question.
Let’s say you include a statistic you vaguely remember reading somewhere, but you can’t find the original source to substantiate it. If the fact cannot be confirmed, a reporter faces a choice – include the uncertain detail or remove it. Rather than risk publishing inaccurate data, you leave the statistic out.
Reporters often develop a verification process that can include confirming information with multiple sources, checking official records or documents, contacting the people involved in the story for comment, and cross-referencing timelines and evidence.
It can be particularly frustrating having to leave out something that seems to aid the story – but ultimately it isn’t helping it. A single doubtful detail can cast doubt on an entire account. You may well be challenged on the story later. Your employer could be forced to publish a correction – and, at the very worst, you could lose your job.
In this way, leaving something out is not a weakness.. The principle “If in doubt, leave it out” may superficially make the story seem weaker, but it makes it stronger.
I remember hearing of a news editor (city editor) who got sacked because he was over-promising on stories to senior colleagues in morning conference. When it came to publication the stories weren’t as great as he had promised. He should have left out the hype.
In writing or editing, “if in doubt, leave it out,“ could just mean removing unnecessary words or the odd sentence – but can also be used for long passages or chapters.
Writing is an act of gathering. We collect ideas, phrases, facts, and emotions – and try to shape them into something meaningful.
First drafts of fiction are meant to be messy. Deliberate ambiguity is okay – as long as it is deliberate… But when you include details you’re unsure about— maybe a timeline inconsistency, or a character motivation that doesn’t work, possibly a setting detail that feels forced—it creates a subtle friction with the reader. Cutting early prevents cascading problems during later revision.
Stephen King wrote in On Writing: “Kill your darlings.” Sometimes those darlings are the things you’re unsure about — holding the story back.
Good writing requires creativity and courage. Have the courage to remove paragraphs you enjoyed writing but don’t help. The courage to shorten explanations. The courage to trust that your message will survive with fewer words.
You may discover something surprising – the piece becomes clearer, stronger, and more confident.
