In: knowledge. Also: reading, typography.
Backlinks: books, fountain-pen, keyboard, learn-in-public, memex, note-taking, reading, text-editor, text-file.
Why is writing important?
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Writing is the most powerful tool for thinking clearly
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Writing to learn: writing to capture what I’ve learned in my own words, to both strengthen knowledge and identify gaps
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Writing to teach: writing something useful that can be understood by others; this requires a big step forward from simply writing to understand
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Writing to think: taking and shaping an unformed idea through long form writing; constantly refining and improving on it; using the extra available memory to observe thoughts and fix flaws
Quotes about writing
In the words of Niklas Luhmann:
It is impossible to think without writing; at least it is impossible in any sophisticated or networked (anschlußfähig) fashion.
Any talent, wisdom or insight you have that you don’t share becomes pain. – Unknown
Links
12 lessons I’ve learned from 25 newsletters
https://wellnesswisdom.substack.com/p/-wellness-wisdom-vol25-12-lessons
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Write to test the waters for a new career, or hobby
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Writing is the precursor of creating
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Writing for yourself is the #1 way to stay consistent
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If you find yourself dreading an upcoming writing deadline, skip it or change the cadence of your writing to be more infrequent
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Social accountability is one of the biggest life hacks
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Don’t think about what you want to write. Write, in order to think.
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Writing helps you find your tribe and attracts like-minded people into your orbit
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Create more than you consume to still your mind
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Don’t wait until you’re ready to write. You’re never ready.
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Take your writing seriously, but don’t take yourself seriously
How to write a Programming Book, by Charles Scalfani
https://cscalfani.medium.com/how-to-write-a-programming-book-76ab4f8a7071
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How to teach
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Always start where the student is an Expert
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Baby steps
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Simulate Discovery
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Never give a student a solution to a problem they don’t have
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Concrete models over abstract ones
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He wrote: “Functional Programming Made Easier: A Step-by-step Guide”
Stephen King’s 6 practical tips can improve your writing and editing
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Beware of adverbs
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Your job isn’t to find ideas but to recognize them
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Don’t dress up your vocabulary
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Read. A lot!
As Stephen King puts: can I be blunt on this subject? If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.
Stephen King says: If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut. -
If you write, you’ll offend someone
Your biggest critic is someone you know
Your biggest fan is someone you don’t know -
Show up every day
Stephen King says: The scariest moment is always just before you start. After that, things can get better.
11 Ways to write better, by Joshua Fields Millburn
https://theminimalists.com/eleven
> Before hitting the send button, review your text: spelling, content, punctuation.
> Words are tools. Expand your vocabulary to make your writing more precise.
> Do it daily. If you want to improve your writing, write every day.
> Punctuation. Is. Pace. To add variety, velocity, and cadence to your writing, play around with different punctuation.
> Avoid throat-clearing. Avoid unnecessary intros.
> Don’t waste the reader’s time. Our time & attention are two of our most precious resources.
> 30% composition, 70% editing. For every hour you spend writing, spend three hours editing & shaping your work.
> Narrative urgency. Every sentence must serve a purpose.
> Avoid too many adverbs. No overuse of adverbs, especially -ly adverbs.
> Follow the rules, and then unfollow the rules
> Read more about writing. There’s always room for improvement.
Why Write?
By Elisa Gabbert July 6, 2022
https://theparisreview.org/blog/2022/07/06/why-write
(journal) Writing can improve self-awareness and mental health
https://sciencealert.com/here-s-how-writing-can-improve-your-self-awareness-and-mental-health
