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Just Write

blog.chasingbrains.co

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Re: Just Write

#11

Post by bgun »

ostensible wrote: post #6
tolerance wrote: post #2

In order for me to take this sentiment serious I have to assume that the author is referring to a select group of people who happen to agree with his worldview and not the masses, otherwise I would have to think that his take is ignorant. Most people have been “just writing” on the web for over a decade. Look at where it’s gotten us.

I completely agree. Only write if you have something to say. World does not need more pointless drivel, like the linked post.

Lecturing comments about what the world needs from someone who uses words like "pointless drivel" just serves to prove the poster's point. We need more writers and fewer critics.

Re: Just Write

#12

Post by AndrewStephens »

monkeywork wrote: post #5
dsmurrell wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I haven't. I registered on ghost two years ago before turning 40 and have been paying them for two years now while I write nothing. It's hard to get started. I'm hoping to overcome this. This post helps.

I believe OP is talking about people "just writing" in short form on social media like twitter / FB / etc - getting a few words up without much "thought" behind it and hitting publish.

A social media post is a kind of writing but I took the original post to mean a longer, more publicly available work. They suggest 100 words, which would make for a long Facebook post.

Re: Just Write

#13

Post by agentultra »

dsmurrell wrote: post #3
tolerance wrote: post #2

In order for me to take this sentiment serious I have to assume that the author is referring to a select group of people who happen to agree with his worldview and not the masses, otherwise I would have to think that his take is ignorant. Most people have been “just writing” on the web for over a decade. Look at where it’s gotten us.

I haven't. I registered on ghost two years ago before turning 40 and have been paying them for two years now while I write nothing. It's hard to get started. I'm hoping to overcome this. This post helps.

Try writing in a private journal first in order to develop the habit of writing.

I'm a bit eccentric in this respect as I journal more than most people. I have subject matter journals that I use. When I'm working on graphics, I write in my graphics programming journal. When I'm working through abstract algebra, I write in my maths journal(s).

I do some times come across ideas for longer-form essays. But it's usually from the accumulation of small ideas, thoughts, feelings, and the like that I find them.

Eventually, blog posts.

However if it's the anxiety of performing for others that overwhelms you, try developing the habit of writing in private. You can conquer those anxieties later when you're more confident in your underlying skills.

Re: Just Write

#14

Post by blackhaj7 »

AndrewStephens wrote: post #10

I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment expressed in this post. A few weeks ago I was inspired by this quote from Why the Lucky Stiff: > When you don't create things, you become defined by your tastes rather than your ability. Your tastes only narrow & exclude people. So create. I won't bore you with the blog post I wrote in response, but the gist is that writing (and equally importantly, publishing) is a way of ge…

Share the post! Would love to read it

Re: Just Write

#15

Post by iamwil »

If your goal is to write, the worst thing you can do as an engineer is to try and write your own blog engine, or fiddle around with some custom settings.

Fight that urge. The thing to tackle is to figure out the habit of writing first. And you can only do that by writing consistently. If you have nothing insightful to write, write about something you took a couple hours to figure out in a TIL.

Re: Just Write

#17

Post by AndrewStephens »

blackhaj7 wrote: post #14
AndrewStephens wrote: post #10

I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment expressed in this post. A few weeks ago I was inspired by this quote from Why the Lucky Stiff: > When you don't create things, you become defined by your tastes rather than your ability. Your tastes only narrow & exclude people. So create. I won't bore you with the blog post I wrote in response, but the gist is that writing (and equally importantly, publishing) is a way of ge…

Share the post! Would love to read it

Well, if you insist: https://sheep.horse/2025/1/the_act_of_creation.html

I think it is a good example of what the parent link is advocating - a short(ish) post on a single topic. We all enjoy long and informative articles but there is a place for things longer than a tweet but shorter than a essay.

Re: Just Write

#19

Post by ChrisMarshallNY »

bgun wrote: post #11
ostensible wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I completely agree. Only write if you have something to say. World does not need more pointless drivel, like the linked post.

Lecturing comments about what the world needs from someone who uses words like "pointless drivel" just serves to prove the poster's point. We need more writers and fewer critics.

> Critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how it's done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves.

-Brendan Behan.

I write stuff, and don’t especially care who reads it: https://littlegreenviper.com/miscellany

Re: Just Write

#20

Post by dkarl »

tolerance wrote: post #2

In order for me to take this sentiment serious I have to assume that the author is referring to a select group of people who happen to agree with his worldview and not the masses, otherwise I would have to think that his take is ignorant. Most people have been “just writing” on the web for over a decade. Look at where it’s gotten us.

> Most people have been “just writing” on the web for over a decade. Look at where it’s gotten us.

Writing on blogs creates some valuable content I benefit from reading, and a lot of content that costs me nothing because I'm never aware of it.

Social media is where people would benefit from writing less. Over and over, I discover someone who produces great high-effort, high-quality content in some medium (blog posts, books, conference presentations), follow them on Bluesky, and then unfollow them because I don't want to read their reactions to random events or their conversations with other people. Even if their daily chatter is much more insightful and informative than the average person's, it's the wrong place for me to invest the energy and attention it takes to process. I feel so much better, and perform so much better personally and professionally, if I save that part of my energy budget for personal interactions with friends, family, and coworkers.

On blogs, people should write to their heart's content. They should write as much for themselves as for other people.

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