writing
An essay is not a vehicle of knowledge transmission; it is a landscape to think in, and a path to get there.
On Shortcuts and Longcuts
“Writing is often the process by which you realize you do not understand what you are talking about.”
Brain Food: Perfection is Impossible
At the origin of all good non-fiction writing is someone who thought: I want to know more about that. I want to understand how it works. I want to know where it came from and who was responsible for it. I want to understand its implications. It is a child gazing at the stars.
There’s that Oscar Wilde quote: “Everything in the world is about sex, except sex. Sex is about power.”
Power in all its sundry shades of that which we want but cannot be sure that we have: status, respect, desire.
Maybe that’s what I really want when I’m writing?
Writing stuff in the 21st century (that’s this one) means writing online, and writing ... See more
Power in all its sundry shades of that which we want but cannot be sure that we have: status, respect, desire.
Maybe that’s what I really want when I’m writing?
Writing stuff in the 21st century (that’s this one) means writing online, and writing ... See more
All Day I Dream About Substack (ADIDAS)
The more precise and niche the words I input, the better the internet would match me with people I could forge meaningful relationships with. This precision was hard for me, partly because my sense for how communication is supposed to work is shaped by reading mass media. Writing for a general public, you need to be broad and a bit bland. I didn’t ... See more
A Blog Post Is a Very Long and Complex Search Query to Find Fascinating People and Make Them Route Interesting Stuff to Your Inbox
A writing example: when I look back in my notes I realize so much of what I write about today I was ruminating about 2-3 years ago. I always knew what I was going to say. I just didn’t have the tools, I didn’t have the maturity, I didn’t have the language or sensitivity to beauty to recognize what that was. So much of what I learned was latent, une... See more
Nix 🕊 • things that take time
The best writing prompt for when I'm stuck is simply "be more honest".
People read nonfiction to learn and to feel. My framework for ensuring a blog post accomplishes both is to start with a first draft that focuses on "novel" ideas.
A novel idea is one that's not just new to the reader, but also significant and not easily intuited. Think of it as new and worthwhile . I've identified five categories:
A novel idea is one that's not just new to the reader, but also significant and not easily intuited. Think of it as new and worthwhile . I've identified five categories:
- Counter-intuitive —
What to Write About
