the art of writing
advice from writers, and more on writing
Brie Wolfson and
the art of writing
Write the way you talk. Naturally.
Maria Popova • 10 Tips on Writing From David Ogilvy
Ezra Klein on the dangers of using ChatGPT for serious writing and the importance of intellectual labor in the writing process:
... See moreChatGPT will never tell you is that the problem with what you're doing is that it's the wrong thing entirely chat gpt is always going to give you the answer of how do you tweak how do you rewrite how do you do the thing
Current AI writing tools are a great way to mass produce writing that is intensely mid, and makes you feel dead inside. Can we use AI to help the best writers do better work?
I don't know. But let's think about the bottlenecks for good writing.
It wasn’t that I didn’t have anything to say, I was just writing to the wrong people about the wrong things.
Molly Mielke • deliberate
It reminds me of writing and how I wake up week after week and get stuck on the blank page again and again. How I always despair that I have no more good ideas and, even if I did, not enough eloquence to convey said ideas. But I love it still. I love how writing brings everything to the surface, how it generates and absorbs my attention. How it
... See morein praise of slowing down
The act of writing forces you to confront the truth in ways that mere thinking does not. As they say: "It's easier to lie to yourself than a blank white page."
You also receive feedback whenever you share ideas, and if it's any good, it points you towards the truth.
nametwitter.com“Most of all: the point is to aim for writing that enhances your feeling of aliveness, that lets you refine your thoughts about what matters, lets you experience with more nuance what you care about, lets you enrichen the texture of your mind.”
-Henrik Karlsson
Angles that spread usually check the following boxes:
- Surprising — presents unexpected new information or theories
- True — we actually believe it
- Important — has an impact on our behavior
- Relevant — related to domains we care about
- Cool — we think we’ll look impressive for sharing it
Nathan Baschez • How to Write Essays That Spread
Handwriting, compared to typing, results in more complex brain connectivity patterns, enhancing learning and memory. This study used EEG data from 36 students to compare brain activity while writing by hand and typing.
Handwriting, whether in cursive on a touchscreen or traditional pen and paper, activated extensive brain regions, vital for memory... See more
Handwriting, whether in cursive on a touchscreen or traditional pen and paper, activated extensive brain regions, vital for memory... See more