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@david_perell is writing 100 articles in 100 days.
The articles are about the creative process, knowledge management, and the mechanics of effective writing.
Here's a summary of the first 15 articles, distilled from 6000 words to 1500.
The articles are about the creative process, knowledge management, and the mechanics of effective writing.
Here's a summary of the first 15 articles, distilled from 6000 words to 1500.
Writing is R&D for Your Brain...
It’s how you create intellectual capital
It’s how you make your ideas permanent
It’s the closest thing we have to time travel
It’s how you create intellectual capitalIt’s how you make your ideas permanentIt’s the closest thing we have to time travel
Once You Write Something, You Add Legos to Your Intellectual Capital...
They’re the seeds of your future projects
The more you have the more you can create
Remix and reuse the ideas for life
They’re the seeds of your future projects The more you have the more you can createRemix and reuse the ideas for life
As the Number of Artifacts Increases Linearly, the Number of Connections Increases Exponentially...
These connections will save you thousands of hours over the course of your career
You end up starting at mile 24 of a marathon
These connections will save you thousands of hours over the course of your career You end up starting at mile 24 of a marathon
Write for One Obsessive Person...
Writing comes alive at the extremes
Ignore the wisdom of crowds
Escape the lukewarm middle
Attract an ocean of like-minded super fans
Writing comes alive at the extremesIgnore the wisdom of crowdsEscape the lukewarm middle Attract an ocean of like-minded super fans
Avoid Brackish Prose That Tries to be Everything to Everybody...
The point of writing is to meet the kinds of people you'd never meet in real life
The more you write for somebody with peculiar interests, the less you compete for attention
The point of writing is to meet the kinds of people you'd never meet in real lifeThe more you write for somebody with peculiar interests, the less you compete for attention
Don’t Wait to Start Writing Until You've Found Your Voice...
Everybody has a voice, just like everybody has a personality
But your voice won't reveal itself if you just sit back and think
You have to write and publish frequently
Everybody has a voice, just like everybody has a personalityBut your voice won't reveal itself if you just sit back and thinkYou have to write and publish frequently
Socializing Your Ideas is How You Discover the Ways You're Different...
You’re on your way once you want to be less like other people, not more
Lean into your quirks and listen to the whispers of your intuition
Nurture your differences with a cocktail of obscure influences
You’re on your way once you want to be less like other people, not moreLean into your quirks and listen to the whispers of your intuitionNurture your differences with a cocktail of obscure influences
Learn to Write Fast...
Have a note-taking system
Collect your most relevant ideas
Leverage the thinking you’ve already done
Once you've compiled enough ideas, structure comes together like alchemy
Have a note-taking systemCollect your most relevant ideas Leverage the thinking you’ve already done Once you've compiled enough ideas, structure comes together like alchemy
If an Essay Demands Contemplation, Write Slower...
But just as athletes do drills, writers should practice writing fast
At minimum, writing fast forces you to improve your process
At most, it will vastly increase your earnings power
But just as athletes do drills, writers should practice writing fastAt minimum, writing fast forces you to improve your processAt most, it will vastly increase your earnings power
If You Suffer From Writer's Block, Generate Ideas by Talking...
Record yourself talking about your thesis for 15 minutes
Explain what you want to write
Pretend like you're talking to a friend
Use Otter to get an instant transcript of your ideas
Record yourself talking about your thesis for 15 minutes Explain what you want to writePretend like you're talking to a friendUse Otter to get an instant transcript of your ideas
Your Verbal Output Will Become the Raw Material for Articles...
Remember, Winston Churchill wrote by dictating his thoughts
Then, once his ideas were on the page, he revised them
If it wasn't above Churchill, it isn't above you
Remember, Winston Churchill wrote by dictating his thoughts Then, once his ideas were on the page, he revised themIf it wasn't above Churchill, it isn't above you
Your Biggest Advantage Over Your Talking Self is Taking Time to Edit...
Use that time to inject fun in your writing
Add meaning with fresh word choice
Make your writing sharper and more descriptive
Paint over your mistakes until you achieve precision
Use that time to inject fun in your writingAdd meaning with fresh word choiceMake your writing sharper and more descriptivePaint over your mistakes until you achieve precision
Avoid the Trap of Sounding Smart...
There are words people know and say
And there are words people don't know and don’t say
Mine the depths of your brain for the language people know but don't say
There are words people know and sayAnd there are words people don't know and don’t sayMine the depths of your brain for the language people know but don't say
Instead of Writing Panoramic Thought Pieces, Focus Only On Your Shiny Dime...
The dime is a tiny but detailed idea that's easy to visualize
Imagine building a model airport and representing the control tower with a dime
In writing, everything revolves around that dime
The dime is a tiny but detailed idea that's easy to visualizeImagine building a model airport and representing the control tower with a dime In writing, everything revolves around that dime
Your Friends and Co-Workers Won't Judge You If Your Articles Isn't Comprehensive...
But your writing will spiral out of control if you lack constraint
Every topic is bigger than it seems at first
Writing unlocks a kingdom of epiphanies you wouldn't have discovered otherwise
But your writing will spiral out of control if you lack constraintEvery topic is bigger than it seems at firstWriting unlocks a kingdom of epiphanies you wouldn't have discovered otherwise
Consistency, Not a Magnum Opus, is What Breeds Success...
Showing up every day, even in short stints, gets you in better shape than scattered, all-day workouts ever will
If you're overwhelmed by the size of your topic, find the smallest viable idea you can write about
Showing up every day, even in short stints, gets you in better shape than scattered, all-day workouts ever willIf you're overwhelmed by the size of your topic, find the smallest viable idea you can write about
Organize Your Ideas with Post-It Notes...
Write one idea per note, then hang the notes on the wall
Hanging the notes makes your memory spatial
Displaying them offloads your working memory to paper and increases your effective intelligence
Write one idea per note, then hang the notes on the wallHanging the notes makes your memory spatial Displaying them offloads your working memory to paper and increases your effective intelligence
Write as Many Notes as You Can Process in a Single Glance...
Make sure each note represents one day’s worth of writing
When you write, focus on one note
Change the structure by moving notes around instead of creating a new outline from scratch
Make sure each note represents one day’s worth of writing When you write, focus on one noteChange the structure by moving notes around instead of creating a new outline from scratch
An Islands and Bridges Strategy Will Give You the License to Tackle Ambitious Essays...
Before your ideas are clear and before you know how they connect, start with a collection of intellectual islands
Don’t start with an outline
Just jump in and get your thoughts on paper
Before your ideas are clear and before you know how they connect, start with a collection of intellectual islandsDon’t start with an outlineJust jump in and get your thoughts on paper
Write About an Island Per Day...
Write about an unlimited number of islands
Represent each island with a Post-It note
Write as well as you can about individual sections
Create an archipelago of ideas
Write about an unlimited number of islandsRepresent each island with a Post-It noteWrite as well as you can about individual sectionsCreate an archipelago of ideas
Once You Find a Structure, Re-Order the Post-It Notes...
Let the writing process rearrange the islands, then build bridges between them
Reduce interdependencies and write transitions late in the writing process
Don’t wait until you know what every sentence should look like
Let the writing process rearrange the islands, then build bridges between themReduce interdependencies and write transitions late in the writing process Don’t wait until you know what every sentence should look like
Your Productivity Hinges On How Fast You Can Ascend to the Skyway of Satisfaction...
The Skyway is your flow state – it’s where you enjoy effortless focus
The problem is the flow state ends when you stop writing for the day
The Skyway is your flow state – it’s where you enjoy effortless focusThe problem is the flow state ends when you stop writing for the day
At the End of the Skyway There's a Parking Lot...
You can get in your car and drive away, or you can capture the view
Capturing the view is a fast-pass to the Skyway the next time you write
It’s how you reload the essay's context into your brain and decide what to do next
You can get in your car and drive away, or you can capture the viewCapturing the view is a fast-pass to the Skyway the next time you write It’s how you reload the essay's context into your brain and decide what to do next
The Next Time You Stop Writing, Take Three Minutes to Pen a 100-Word Note at the Top of Your Page...
Write about where you’re stuck
Write about what you plan to achieve next time
Write about what you were thinking about when you stopped writing
Write about where you’re stuckWrite about what you plan to achieve next timeWrite about what you were thinking about when you stopped writing
Clichés are Ideas Without Surprise...
They align with your worldview and cause you to turn off your mind
They appear when the topic is either too broad, or common knowledge
They stick out when you can predict the content by looking at the title
They align with your worldview and cause you to turn off your mindThey appear when the topic is either too broad, or common knowledgeThey stick out when you can predict the content by looking at the title
Insightful Ideas are Always Jarring; They Shock You Out of an Intellectual Slumber...
The next time you write, avoid high level topics
Instead, zoom in and add a twist to a familiar subject
Focus on under-explored topics
Look for second- and third-order effects
The next time you write, avoid high level topicsInstead, zoom in and add a twist to a familiar subject
Focus on under-explored topics Look for second- and third-order effects
The Work is What Consumers Don't See...
It’s the inelegant things you removed from the product
You’re done when the product is so simple others think they could’ve done it themselves
That means they won’t appreciate how hard you’ve worked
It’s the inelegant things you removed from the product You’re done when the product is so simple others think they could’ve done it themselvesThat means they won’t appreciate how hard you’ve worked
Accept You'll Only Publish a Small Part of What You Type...
Silence the part of your ego that wants to advertise your work ethic
Make the work invisible
Silence the part of your ego that wants to advertise your work ethic Make the work invisible
Musicians Copy, Writers Should Too...
Aim for perfection but pay attention to your mistakes (they hold the seeds of your individuality)
Imitation reveals our identity, especially when we fall short of those we admire
Aim for perfection but pay attention to your mistakes (they hold the seeds of your individuality)Imitation reveals our identity, especially when we fall short of those we admire
Binge-Read Your Favorite Writers...
Shamelessly copy their style
Follow the beat of their sentences and cadence of their words
Mirror the greats so intensely the glitter of their brilliance shines upon your craft
Shamelessly copy their styleFollow the beat of their sentences and cadence of their wordsMirror the greats so intensely the glitter of their brilliance shines upon your craft
Writing Makes You a Better Speaker...
Writing frequently helps you speak rhythmically
Writing gives you a well of stories and stats
Writing sharpens the substance of ideas
Writing turns you into a carrier of ideas you’ve already penned
Writing frequently helps you speak rhythmicallyWriting gives you a well of stories and statsWriting sharpens the substance of ideas Writing turns you into a carrier of ideas you’ve already penned
For the next 85 articles, follow along as David continues his "100 Days of Daily Writing." https://ageofleverage.com/100
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