Now imagine dumping a sloshy bucket of that watery sap on a plate of pancakes. Trust me, the kids wouldn’t eat it. That’s what it’s like to listen to a song that’s about everything instead of one thing—it ends up being about nothing at all. Whether you’re writing a sermon, a poem, or a mystery novel, you have to do the work of boiling it down. But it’s important to remember that you don’t start with the syrup. You start with the sap, and then you get selective. That’s what you have to do with all your big ideas. Find out what’s essential, what’s sweetest, and boil away the rest.
