When I have a piece of writing in mind, what I have, in fact, is a mental bucket: an attractor for and generator of thought. It’s like a thematic gravity well, a magnet for what would otherwise be a mess of iron filings. I’ll read books differently and listen differently in conversations. In particular I’ll remember everything better; everything will mean more to me. That’s because everything I perceive will unconsciously engage on its way in with the substance of my preoccupation. A preoccupation, in that sense, is a hell of a useful thing for a mind.

James Somers • More People Should Write

Saved by Alex Dobrenko and

RelatedCollectionsNotes

Editing is easier when you know the patterns_

When it comes to essay writing, the idea of “patterns over process,” is just as relevant.

Tootzi instilled a philosophy of “all that exists is the artifact that’s on the table.” It doesn’t matter if your ideas come from your mind, your heart, your soul, your belly button, the tops of mountains, a bottle ... See more

Michael Dean • The Secret Architecture of Great Essays

In his 2012 essay, “More people should write,” writer and programmer James Somers described this process as creating a mental bucket for an idea, thereby unleashing a magnetic force between that idea and the world:

When I have a piece of writing in mind, what I have, in fact, is a mental bucket: an attractor for and generator of thought. It’s like a

Sari Azout • The End of Productivity

always have a broad mission or direction, and everything I learn gets mapped onto it. My brain has sort of a single-threaded worldview, which is a funny thing to say because you might think I hop around a lot. But it all has context. If I can’t fit something in, I tend to not remember it. I have this mental “clothesline” where I hang ideas among ea

Eric Jorgenson • The Anthology of Balaji: A Guide to Technology, Truth, and Building the Future

When I realize my mind is sliding away from some aspect of a character, that’s usually where the really good stuff is.

Charlie Jane Anders • Never Say You Can't Survive: How to Get Through Hard Times by Making Up Stories

When you find something that resonates, its use is not always immediately apparent. A line in a song might be the seed for your next coding project or inspire the title for the book you’re writing. It can be difficult to predict how something that resonates today might be useful in the future.

Sari Azout • The End of Productivity

the primary concern of the writer should revolve around the aesthetic elements of the work which are ultimately a way of containing / directing what emerges from the darkness of the writers interior.

lately I’ve been thinking of great writing as work that emerges from a very distinctive, very deep subjectivity; and “craft” is about finding the ideal... See more

Michael Dean • The Secret Architecture of Great Essays

Sari Azout • The End of Productivity

Eric Jorgenson • The Anthology of Balaji: A Guide to Technology, Truth, and Building the Future

Charlie Jane Anders • Never Say You Can't Survive: How to Get Through Hard Times by Making Up Stories

Sari Azout • The End of Productivity

Substack • Home | Substack