Leitwort · canonical
Trace Before Compression
Preserve the source and the steps before summarising.
Living Word Test
Trace Before Compression
Preserve the source and the steps before summarising.
- When I see
- A summary that flatters the original by hiding its mess.
- I do
- Show the rejected drafts, the wrong turns, and the moment of decision before the polished version.
- Visible evidence
- A reader who can trace the conclusion back to the example that produced it.
Plain meaning
Show the steps before the conclusion.
Working meaning
Trace-before-compression protects Less Typical from sounding like polished philosophy with no contact with reality.
Advanced meaning
A compressed summary without trace is borrowed clarity waiting to happen.
Danger meaning
Trace becomes endless anecdote. The point is enough trace to recover the judgment, not a transcript.
Example
A grammar lesson that begins with the wrong sentence the student wrote, then shows the move, then the rule, teaches the rule that survives.
Misuse
Used as an excuse for never summarising. Some compression is necessary; it must be earned.
Related moves
read to enter another mindwrite to recover your own