- 27 Lessons on Writing, Thinking, and Learning -
Notes from "Using Blogging to Think Independently" - a conversation between and via
[THREAD]
Conversation
1\ Problems w/ deliberate practice
• Deliberate practice works in a small set of domains.
• Chess and music are ripe for deliberate practice.
• Programming and writing are not.
• What works in any domain: find a subset of the skill you can practice with a tight feedback loop
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2\ Writing to communicate your experience
• To find more things to write about, experiment more.
• Write about that experiment and whether conventional wisdom held.
• Distill your experience into a principle about the world.
• Let reality be the teacher.
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3\ Writing as downhill skiing
• Generate speed: intros should convince your reader that reading is worth their time.
• Sandwich the denser parts of your piece between easier sections.
• Strategies for keeping speed: tease what's coming next or repackage cliches as "insights."
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4\ Roy Peter Clarke's 50 Writing Tools
• Cedric credits his writing ability to Roy Peter Clark's "50 Writing Tools"
• Read 50 Writing Tools one tool at a time, implementing it into your writing.
• Great breakdown of these 50 writing tools here👇🏼
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5\ Advice to new writers
• Start your own blog.
• Don't worry - no one will read it.
• Share your writing in Reddit communities.
• Share your writing on LinkedIn or other social.
• Everything is easier when you write a quality piece that no one else has written about.
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6\ Cedric's writing process
• Start with an objective - what the reader should takeaway.
• Refine your idea in conversation, not in writing.
• Work on multiple pieces in draft form, but edit one at a time.
• Publish even if it's uncomfortable - it will never be perfect.
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7\ The role of narratives
• Human brains are adapted to learn from stories.
• Leverage this to better navigate the world.
• An example: Tell yourself multiple stories different than the one you are currently telling.
• This forces you to consider other perspectives.
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After listening to this conversation, I've gone down a rabbit hole. Some of my favorites:
The Mental Model FAQ -> commoncog.com/blog/the-menta
How to Read a Book a Week -> commoncog.com/blog/the-ultim
The Principles Sequence -> commoncog.com/blog/the-princ
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Wow, thanks for the summary! This is great!
Thanks for all the great insights, Ced!
Have to admit - I can usually take notes on things at 2x speed relatively easily.
I had to sit down and really digest this one - tons to think about here.
Really thinking a lot about blogging as an expression of experience.
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