Vince DeSantis

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:

• Counter-intuitive —

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Jeff Bezos on what great inventors do:

When you make something, when you improve something, when you deliver something, when you add some new thing or service to the lives of strangers, making them happier, or healthier, or safer, or better, and when you do it all crisply and efficiently, smartly, the way everything should be done but so seldom is—you’re participating more fully in the

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When writing, consider listening to atmospheric music. It may help reduce your susceptibility to distraction: a steady beat without vocals helps put you in a trance. Here's my Spotify playlist.

But the best topic to write about is always the one you can’t not write about. It’s the idea bouncing around your head that compels you to get to the bottom of it.

I've learned more about writing for the internet from @david_perell than anyone else in the world. 7 ideas that’ll make you a better writer: 1. Read to Collect Dots, Write to Connect Them Stephen King says, “To be a good writer, you must do two things: Read a lot and write a… Show more