5 reasons to write
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
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Zettelkasten
13 min read
The article emphasizes writing to think and remember—Zettelkasten is a specific note-taking method developed by sociologist Niklas Luhmann that embodies these principles, showing how systematic writing can enhance thinking and knowledge retention
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Extended mind thesis
16 min read
The article argues that writing extends and shapes thought. The extended mind thesis is the philosophical concept that cognitive processes can extend beyond the brain into external tools like writing, directly supporting the article's core argument
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Memetics
1 min read
The article's point about writing to lead—making ideas 'portable' so they spread—connects directly to memetics, the study of how ideas replicate and spread through culture, coined by Richard Dawkins
Technology is changing how we communicate, but writing will always define how we think, what we do, and who we are. So why write? a16z crypto editor and podcast host shares four reasons — not just for writers, but for anyone trying to make sense of the world.
1. Write to think
Writing forces you to make sense of your thoughts — to translate inner monologue into something intelligible to the outside world. You need to consider each idea carefully enough to make it clear to someone else: a group, a stranger, a friend, or your future self. This process can reveal the gaps in your reasoning — the holes, inconsistencies, contradictions, and self-deceptions. Write more to think better.
2. Write to remember
Writing is one of the few ways to slow things down and hold onto your own thoughts. Every note or post is a snapshot of who you were, what you noticed, and what you told yourself you cared about. Your writing is a moment in time you can revisit and revise. You can edit your words to reflect who you are today, or choose to see yourself more clearly and change how you behave.
3. Write to connect
When you write in public — a post, an idea, a half-formed thought — it usually disappears into the mist. But sometimes, the thing lands. Someone gets it. They reply. A thread knits people together who might never have connected otherwise. Writing lights a beacon: it’s thinking aloud and seeing who shares your taste, your worldview, your wavelength.
4. Write to lead
The secret of influence is to give people better language for what they already believe. When you articulate an idea precisely, it becomes portable. Other people can pick it up, use it, and spread it. The clearer your words, the easier they are to repeat. Success is making sense of something others already feel, articulating it, and hearing it repeated back at you.
5. Write to feel
Writing hones taste. When you write, you have to make choices. When you make choices, you start noticing the difference between what works, what doesn’t, and the delta between. AI can produce endlessly, but it can’t tell the difference between what sounds human and what sounds hollow. As a human, your job is taste. In an age where anyone can generate infinite content, it’s the only thing that stands
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