Half Ideas

So, you want to write something…

2019-07-31

Almost all the writing I’m most proud of was started early in the afternoon and finished at whatever the natural stopping point was, generally between 6 PM and 2 AM.

Patrick Mckenzie (perma)

I have more than 100 text files in my “drafts” folder. Some of them consist only of a few lines; some are hundreds and ... See more

I both have so much to say and nothing to say. Perhaps it is that some of what I have to say simply requires more time and space to marinate than these weekly letters allow; perhaps it’s that some of what I have to say isn’t meant to be said to 23,000 people but instead to my partner, or my child, or a friend, or in a longer-term project. Perhaps i... See more

The ideas aren’t all gold, but they seem to find the people who want them, and they start to give life.

I should just write down and publish all of the best ideas I’ve ever had, as quickly and casually as I can, in succession.

I should just write down and publish all of the best ideas I’ve ever had, as quickly and casually as I can, in succession.

The first truth is that at least half of our ideas are just not going to work. There are many reasons for an idea to not work out. The most common is that customers just aren't as excited about this idea as we are.