I want to write more.
To get better at my work. Every job I’ve had so far involves writing. Why didn’t anybody tell me this in school? Maybe I wasn’t paying attention. I write memos, slide decks, emails, assignments, applications… Amazon made famous a “six page memo” format for business writing. Quality of writing in the workplace seems to matter: bad writing leads to miscommunication, churn, or tossed projects. Good writing leads to new opportunities, greenlit projects, and promotions. Also, compared to other skills writing may be a bigger differentiator, because lots of people do not practice writing. So being able to write quickly, with concision, and with understanding is a competitive advantage.
To clarify thoughts, ideas, and opinions. Writing increases clarity of ideas and opinion. In conversation, we can hide behind ambiguity or adapt our opinions as we go. I have a lot of thoughts that I fail to clarify or turn into a more permanent idea or opinion. I would like to be someone who knows what they think. I also value intellectual humility and changing opinions with new information — writing makes it easier to incorporate new information.
As a creative outlet. My experience has been that the kind of “knowledge work” I’ve done provides fewer outlets for creativity than I might have expected. I often have an itch to “be more creative. That does not seem to happen naturally; I have a couple semi-creative hobbies but I still want to be more creative. Also, there seems to be a flywheel between creative and analytic thinking; Nobel laureates are much more likely to have creative hobbies.
For easy and replicable sharing. Writing scales if you save it. Sometimes I get the same questions from multiple people. For example, when students at my university have reached out with questions about management consulting, there is a short list of common questions. If I write down my thoughts, it’s easy to respond the next time. And I’ll probably give a better answer. I also wish I’d kept track of questions students asked me when I worked as a teaching assistant. That would have been extra helpful for keeping track of multiple ways to answer a given question to adapt to a students’ learning style or background.
I want to try writing in public.
A forcing mechanism. Writing in public forces you to take ideas a step further. I often find that an idea in my head stays a baby-idea. It’s a lot more fun to hold on to the potential of the idea — “oh, what a cute idea I had. I’m so smart for making that” — than it is to let the idea grow. I think that’s because I can dream of the best possible outcome for that baby-idea. But baby-ideas aren’t that useful. They don’t do anything really. When ideas go from baby-idea to tween-idea to grown-up-idea, they change. I might realize that idea sucks. It might turn out to be a rebellious tween-idea or a grouchy grown-up-idea. But at least grown-up-ideas can actually be useful sometime. If you share a baby-idea in public, others might think it’s cute. But no baby-idea can have much impact beyond that. I don’t want to look like I only have baby-ideas, so if I start to write in public it will force me to grow the ideas up. To clarify, simplify, expand, and develop the idea.
A proof point that I know about a topic. I think it’s hard for resumes to show what someone really cares about. The best resumes tell a clear story. But there is so much left out. I have a lot of interests, and I think I actually know a good bit about many topics. But I’m not always able to articulate what I know or show that I care. I’ve found that particular difficult in a couple job interviews. But I think if I write in public more often, that will be easier. I’ll have something to point to that shows what I think, what I know, and what I’m learning. It will also be easier to recall what I’ve written down, and especially what I’ve written in public.
A motivational shelf. I am motivated by accomplishment. As in, I like to check off boxes, set goals, and be able to say “that’s done.” I think that writing in public will give me a shelf to set writing on and say “that’s done, for now.” I think that having a place to share something written will motivate me to write more.
See also:
- My Personal Moonshot | Tyler Cowen
- My summary of Tyler Cowen’s approach to leading an intellectually fulfilling life
- The Ultimate Guide to Writing Online - David Perell
- Why You Should Start a Blog Right Now - Alexey Guzey
- Writing, Briefly - Paul Graham
- The Need to Read - Paul Graham
- Barack Obama Opens Up About Writing ‘A Promised Land’ - The New York Times
To add:
- Write Like You Talk - Paul Graham
- Maybe a section on “how to get better at writing” or “how I’m going to get better at writing”