Good stuff, thanks. As primarily a writer of occasionally cogent emails I wish I had your apparent talent for leaving stuff out without doing much editing. My initial cut almost always rambles and it is on my own review I see that I might actually have a valid point of view in there somewhere. So then chopping away at it to reveal said argument is extremely valuable. More power to you if you write close to a finished draft the first time!
This was a fantastic post. But are you too embarrassed, perfectionist or shy to make it public? I've had to copy and paste it for one friend. You got a Twitter shout from James Fallows, whose writing I also admire.
Wow! Such pure Noah Smith thought! Thank you!
I try!!
Good stuff, thanks. As primarily a writer of occasionally cogent emails I wish I had your apparent talent for leaving stuff out without doing much editing. My initial cut almost always rambles and it is on my own review I see that I might actually have a valid point of view in there somewhere. So then chopping away at it to reveal said argument is extremely valuable. More power to you if you write close to a finished draft the first time!
Reminds me of the old saying “ I would have send a short letter but I didn't have time” 😁
This was a fantastic post. But are you too embarrassed, perfectionist or shy to make it public? I've had to copy and paste it for one friend. You got a Twitter shout from James Fallows, whose writing I also admire.
Nice write.
I like that "I just read some stuff, and then I write what I think about it and hit the “publish” button." Feynman lives!
Great post! I’ve been thinking about writing for a long time and this has solidified my determination to do so eventually.