Writing
What have you written that changed how someone thinks?
Writing solidifies; conversation dissolves. Speaking helps who's in the room. Writing helps everyone — including people who couldn't make it, future employees, and your future self.
| Without Writing Skill | With Writing Skill |
|---|---|
| Ideas evaporate | Ideas compound |
| Meetings repeat | Decisions documented |
| Onboarding takes months | Knowledge transfers fast |
| "What did we decide?" | "Here's the doc" |
AI drafts at speed and scale. Humans bring clarity of thought, voice, and judgment about what's worth saying. The thinking must come from you. The drafting doesn't have to.
Purpose & Audience
Before writing a word, answer three questions:
- What do I want the reader to think, feel, or do after reading this?
- Is every section clearly relevant to that purpose and this specific audience?
- Is the main point obvious in the first screen?
If you can't answer all three, you're not ready to write. You're ready to think.
Structure & Flow
- Does the piece have a clear beginning, middle, and end?
- Does each paragraph focus on one idea, with a topic sentence?
- Is the order of ideas logical, with smooth transitions between paragraphs?
The test: read just the first sentence of every paragraph. Does the argument still make sense?
Clarity & Simplicity
| Cut This | Write This |
|---|---|
| "in order to" | "to" |
| "due to the fact that" | "because" |
| "at this point in time" | "now" |
| "it is important that" | (delete) |
| "basically" | (delete) |
- Sentences short on average — under 20 words, one main thing each
- Concrete, specific language over vague abstractions
- Simple words over fancy ones unless jargon is truly needed and explained
- Cut needless words, repetitions, and filler on every pass
Three questions from Hemingway: What are you trying to say? Have you said it? Can you say it more simply?
Hemingway
Short sentences. Anglo-Saxon over Latin. Strong verbs over adjectives. Iceberg theory.
- Short sentences. One main thing each. Under 20 words. Fragments when they hit harder.
- Anglo-Saxon over Latin. Use, not utilise. Start, not initiate. Show, not demonstrate. End, not terminate. The shorter root hits harder.
- Verbs over adjectives. "The protocol reroutes" not "the protocol is resilient." Action, not description.
- Cut adverbs. If the verb needs help, replace the verb. "Runs quickly" is two words where "sprints" is one.
- Never write the emotion. Write the action that causes it. The reader feels what you don't say.
- Iceberg theory. The dignity of movement is due to seven-eighths being below the surface. What you leave out powers what you include.
- End on impact. The last sentence stays. Never end with a summary of what you just said.
- Three questions. What are you trying to say? Have you said it? Can you say it more simply?
Ogilvy
Research first. Headlines carry 80 cents in the dollar. Write to one person. Specifics sell.
- The headline is everything. On average, five times as many people read the headline as the body. When you write your headline, you've spent eighty cents of your dollar.
- Research before writing. The more you know about a subject, the more you can say that's true. Ignorance produces vagueness. Knowledge produces specifics.
- Write to one person. Not an audience, not a demographic — one real person you can picture. If you're writing to everyone, you're reaching no one.
- Specifics sell. "Loses 30 pounds in 30 days" beats "significant weight loss." Numbers, names, and facts convert where generalities slide off.
- Earn the length. Long copy outperforms short copy — if and only if the content is interesting. Boring long copy fails faster than boring short copy.
- Promise a benefit or deliver news. Headlines that do neither are decorative. "New shampoo cleans hair" is not a headline. "At 60mph, the loudest noise in a Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock" is.
- The consumer isn't stupid. She is your wife. Don't condescend. Don't oversimplify. Respect the intelligence of the person you're trying to reach.
- Don't bury the lead. The first sentence must earn the second. The second must earn the third. Every sentence is a door — if it doesn't open, the reader leaves.
Voice & Tone
- Does it sound like a real person speaking, not a corporate memo or academic robot?
- Is the tone appropriate for the reader — expert, friend, executive, newcomer?
- Where it fits, do you speak directly using "you" and clear calls to action?
The read-aloud test catches what the eye misses. If you wouldn't say it to someone's face, rewrite it.
Sentence Craft
| Weak | Strong |
|---|---|
| "The feature was shipped by team" | "The team shipped it" |
| "Made a decision to proceed" | "Decided" |
| "Is very important" | "Matters" |
| "Seems to basically indicate" | "Shows" |
- Active voice over passive — the subject does the thing
- Vary sentence openings and lengths to avoid monotony
- Strong, specific verbs — not weak ones propped up by adverbs
- Related words kept close together so the sentence parses easily
Evidence & Examples
- For each key claim, give a concrete example, image, or evidence
- Show rather than tell — "Revenue dropped 40%" not "things went badly"
- Anticipate and briefly address obvious questions a smart reader would have
Claims without evidence are opinions. Opinions without authority are noise.
Polish
- Grammar, spelling, and punctuation clean enough that nothing distracts
- Technical terms used correctly and consistently throughout
- Others' ideas clearly distinguished and credited
- Final pass: cut at least a few more words that don't earn their keep
Core Patterns
- Rewriting is writing — First drafts capture. Rewrites clarify. The only kind of writing is rewriting.
- Headlines carry weight — 80 cents in the dollar are in the headline. Specific, value-driven, compelling.
- Timing — Now is often wrong. Sleep on it before sending. Let it filter through the sieve of time.
- Publish before perfect — Feedback teaches more than revision. Ship, learn, rewrite.
The Shadow
Perfectionism. Writing as procrastination. Polishing instead of publishing. Mistaking eloquence for clarity. The best writing is the writing that ships.
By Archetype
| Archetype | Writing Style |
|---|---|
| Philosopher | Writes to think — clarity emerges through the act |
| Engineer | Writes to document and scale — systems over stories |
| Dreamer | Writes to inspire — vision into words |
| Coach | Writes to unlock — questions that open doors |
Context
- Storytelling — Writing with narrative arc
- Reading — The input side of writing
- Presenting — Writing for the spoken word
- Async Communication — Where writing discipline lives
- Writing Tools — AI amplification at 70%
Questions
If writing solidifies and conversation dissolves — what did you lose last week because you said it instead of writing it?
- Hemingway cut. Ogilvy researched. Both shipped. Which constraint do you resist — and what would happen if you adopted it for 30 days?
- Where in your work does quality still depend on verbal explanation that a well-written document would make unnecessary?
- What's the most important thing you know that you haven't written down — and who loses when you don't?