the art of writing
An empty white page is a mirror into your mind. When the ideas in your mind are clouded, so are the words on the page in front of you. Re-writing is re-thinking. It’s the best single best way to sharpen your ideas. And once your ideas are as clear as a Neiman Marcus mirror, you’ll be able to teach them to others.
David Perell • Daily Writing #2: Why You Should Write
Powerful. Writers block. Thoughts. Thinking
If you update the language and some references, books written thousands of years ago sound like they could have been written today. The human condition remains the same. Your book has all the wisdom you need. Read metaphorically, and apply it to your modern life.
Derek Sivers • How to Live: 27 conflicting answers and one weird conclusion
Timeless topics will never get old. Reading metophorically is a good one. I know i can do more of this
”In my experience, here’s how essays form: You get all these bits of data that stick in your head… file drawers in your head. At a certain point you realize one of the drawers is now full, and you might have an essay.” Tim Kreider on the artist at midlife.
You can almost always improve your writing by being more specific. Don’t write “I got in my car” when you can write “I got in my ‘65 Mustang.”
David Perell • 31 Ways to Improve Your Writing
Writing tip
When people give opinions, add a question mark. If they say, “Immigration is bad,” change it to, “Immigration is bad?” Let the questions drift away, unanswered.
Derek Sivers • How to Live: 27 conflicting answers and one weird conclusion
Question everything? Don't take on everything as truth
Don’t assume that the reader knows what you know. Rewind back to the beginning, and start over again. Make the whole experience human, and create a path that carries the ebbs and flows you felt when you first thought about it.
Lawrence Yeo • The Ultimate Guide to Visual Storytelling
Don’t point out the obvious problem. It’s a journey and series of events. This must be felt by the reader for it to resonate
How can you ensure that the things you say are true and novel and important? Believe it or not, there is a trick for doing this. I learned it from my friend Robert Morris, who has a horror of saying anything dumb. His trick is not to say anything unless he's sure it's worth hearing. This makes it hard to get opinions out of him, but when you do, th... See more