When a man has no design but to speak plain truth, he may say a great deal in a very narrow compass.

Length usually signals a purpose beyond the message. Someone with nothing to do but say what happened can do it in a few sentences, while the version that runs to four paragraphs is generally managing an impression, softening a refusal, or building cover in advance. The padding is not accidental; it is doing work the sender would rather not name.

When your own draft starts sprawling, stop and ask what you are actually trying to avoid saying. Write that sentence out plainly, then rebuild the message around it. If the short version feels too exposed to send, the discomfort is telling you something true about the situation.