Writing compass
How I write with AI
Some people really can’t stand the idea of using AI to write.
But here’s how I think about it.
AI is my mixing engineer.
I’m still writing the song.
I’m laying down the chords, the melody, the lyrics—the raw track.
The mixing engineer doesn’t get songwriting credit.
They take what already exists and help it sound better.
They balance
... See moreWrite on your phone.
Write in a journal.
Write on the train.
Write on a napkin.
Write in a coffee shop.
Kill the idea of "writing" being something you do while seated at a desk.
Instead, turn writing into something you do at any moment.
Write in a journal.
Write on the train.
Write on a napkin.
Write in a coffee shop.
Kill the idea of "writing" being something you do while seated at a desk.
Instead, turn writing into something you do at any moment.
substack.com • Home | Substack
The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do. — Thomas Jefferson
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... See more
James Somers • More People Should Write
You should write because when you know that you’re going to write, it changes the way you live. I’m thinking about a book I read called Field Notes on Science & Nature , a collection of essays by scientists about their notes. It’s hard to imagine a more tedious concept — a book of essays about notes ? — but in execution it was wonderful. What it... See more
James Somers • More People Should Write
🌊 When the Creek Finds Its Voice
I walked past the same creek I see every day — but today it was singing
Last night’s rain filled it to the brim, and the moment the water rose, the creek found its voice again. It rolled over the rocks, babbling and laughing its way down the channel.
And it hit me:
A creek can’t sing when it’s empty.
It needs something
... See more