Giving Your Writing Direction, Nietzsche on Creating & More

Read time: 4 minutes.

Welcome Doctors and Writers,

Here are 5 interesting ideas to tighten up your writing this week. 

Today at a glance

Question: For who so that?

Quote: Creating from chaos.

Framework: Read out loud to become a better writer.

Idea: Winner’s and Loser’s Games.

Video: Werner Herzog on story telling.

Question to give your writing direction

For who, so that?

Who are you writing for?

Are they experts demanding nuance or novices craving simplicity? 

Are they academics hungry for depth or the general reader starved for digestible insight? 

Define your audience with razor clarity.

Knowing your "who" is your lodestone.

Now, where are you taking them? What is your writing's purpose - to inform, to inspire, to call to action? 

Do you aspire to change minds or open them? Entertain or disturb? 

Each piece should have a precise "so that" objective guiding every phrase.

With audience and intent crystallized, words flow cleanly and efforts are clarified.

Good writing shows a ruthless plasticity, shaping itself around the "for who so that" core - like twisting metal around a white-hot rivet.

It wastes no energy on detours and danglers.

It travels briskly from A to B to done.

Use this principle to give your voice the ringing, authentic confidence of the writer who knows precisely who they are speaking to and why. 

Quote on creating

The lesson: Create order from chaos through writing. 

Framework to tighten up your text

Read your work aloud before you hit publish.

Reading out loud enhances your writing by engaging multiple senses.

Here are 5 reasons:

1. Catch awkward phrasing:

Your ears detect clunky sentences your eyes might miss.

2. Spot repetition:

Slowing down helps identify overused words or ideas.

3. Improve flow:

Long, winding sentences become apparent, helping to adjust pacing and structure.

4. Refine punctuation:

Natural pauses guide comma and period placement, improving readability.

5. Enhance clarity:

Stumbling while reading is a sign of confusing sections needing simplification or reorganization.

To practice, set a timer for 5 minutes and read your next piece aloud.

The improvements you can make in that short time will surprise you.

Remember, great writing isn't just about what you say, but how you say it. 

Using your voice fine-tunes your words for both you and your readers. 

Idea: Winner’s and Loser’s Games

Amateurs win games by making the least mistakes.

Winners win games by hitting exceptional shots. 

Which game are you playing? 

If you are at the start of your writing journey, you’re an amateur and should focus on making fewer mistakes.

Learn the ropes of sentence structure, copywriting, and editing.

Once you’re no longer making mistakes, dance with juxtaposition, anaphora, and recurring themes.

Put your focus on hitting great shots.

The biggest mistake amateur writers make is that they think they must write like the greats.

They don’t.

They need to make less mistakes.

Then hit great shots.

Video: Universal stories

Here’s a video from an expert storyteller Kurt Vonnegut on recurring story arcs and why we love them so much. 

Try not to smile.

Thanks for reading today’s newsletter.

If you have any comments, suggestions, or questions, just hit reply to this email, we’d love to hear from you.

— Adi and Pranav