THESIS
I don’t write to simply generate a 1,200 word output. I consider writing to be an extension of my curiosity, and the writing process itself is what turns a rough idea into a finished product. [...] Writing is a metamorphosis that turns vague abstractions into novel ideas, but you have to go through the writing process to connect the various points... See more
Thomas Klaffke • From Chasing Goals To Falling In Love With The Process
Imagine this: The piece you’re writing is about what you find in the piece you’re writing. Nothing else. No matter how factual, how nonfictional, how purposeful a piece it is. Sooner or later, you’ll become more interested in what you’re able to say on the page and less interested in your intentions. You’ll rely less on the priority of your intenti
... See moreVerlyn Klinkenborg • Several Short Sentences About Writing
Even if a writer achieves “formal perfection,” every reader walks away with their own unpredictable reaction. Still, composition matters. It is a delivery mechanism, and when it’s done right it becomes invisible. By sculpting ideas with extreme care, they move through the reader’s veins with no confusion and max potency, letting them come to their ... See more
The other reason why repeating the 1/3/1 structure works so well is because it forces you, the writer, to be conscious and clear about what you’re trying to accomplish in each section. Within the first five sentences of the piece, what are you trying to say? What’s the one singular point you’re trying to drive home? What’s this story really about?
... See moreNicolas Cole • The Art and Business of Online Writing: How to Beat the Game of Capturing and Keeping Attention
Essays should be linear, that’s what makes it an essay. If you have a mosaic of paragraphs that can be shuffled in any order, that’s not an essay, those are notes, no matter how poetic the prose.
Sequence matters. Our mind works via cause-and-effect. Of course, there’s value to creating tension, by purposely time jumping, or by injecting subtle mys
... See morePutting ideas into words is a severe test. The first words you choose are usually wrong; you have to rewrite sentences over and over to get them exactly right. And your ideas won't just be imprecise, but incomplete too. Half the ideas that end up in an essay will be ones you thought of while you were writing it. Indeed, that's why I write them.