Writing again
What I Learned | Season 5, Episode 1
gm old friends!
I have a confession: I am out of shape “mentally.” Okay, maybe I’m not completely out of shape, but I could be in better mental shape.
And, just like working out, the task is never done. You have to continuously work out to stay in shape.
For me, writing about what I’m learning is one of the best ways to get into, and stay, in great mental shape. And lately, I’ve been slacking on the writing front. So, I’ve decided to start writing (and publishing) again.
I figured I’d jot down my reasons and share them in this first post “back.”
I hope you enjoy it!
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Writing to stay healthy
I’ve heard artists say they *have* to create to be healthy. I don’t claim to be an artist. But, I get this sentiment.
I am healthiest when I’m consistently practicing certain rhythms. For me, those rhythms include running (or something active), good sleep, meditation, “me time,” and writing (among others - more on this list another day).
I’m excited to use writing (and publishing) as one of the tools in my quiver to get in better mental shape.
Writing to clarify thinking
Clear writing requires clear thinking.
So, in order to think clearly, I have to write.
It’s a cheat code in life. (And I’ll preach about it to anyone who will listen!)
I found this in an old post of mine from 2019, it holds true for me today as ever before:
PG nails it in the opening statement of his 2022 essay, Putting ideas into words:
Writing about something, even something you know well, usually shows you that you didn't know it as well as you thought. Putting ideas into words is a severe test. The first words you choose are usually wrong; you have to rewrite sentences over and over to get them exactly right. And your ideas won't just be imprecise, but incomplete too. Half the ideas that end up in an essay will be ones you thought of while you were writing it. Indeed, that's why I write them.
I resonated a lot with how Frederik Gieschen talks about writing, in his essay earlier this month, he said:
Writing remains one of the best ways to discover who I am, to go deeper, to connect with my subconscious, and to uncover the flaws and gaps in my own thinking.
Writing to generate ideas
I find that when I have an idea, or ideas, swirling around in my head, it’s hard to parse out what is important within the unorganized chaos in my head.
Putting those swirling thoughts onto paper helps me codify the ideas - and also generate new ideas!
Again, PG puts it more eloquently, and succinctly (from a 2005 essay, Writing, Briefly):
I think it's far more important to write well than most people realize. Writing doesn't just communicate ideas; it generates them. If you're bad at writing and don't like to do it, you'll miss out on most of the ideas writing would have generated.
Writing to publish
I don’t want to just write.
I also want to publish my writing (my thinking).
Here’s why:
Publishing forces me to really clarify my thinking before hitting “publish.” It’s a great forcing function - I’m lazy, and do better when I have forcing functions.
By sharing these publicly, I’m proclaiming that I do them. And, there are a few that I’m not doing consistently right now. So, by publishing this list, I have to start doing them again, or else I’m a liar 😆. Thanks for the accountability, reader!
Hopefully, sharing openly helps one or two other people (but if not, I’m okay with the first two reasons).
My goal is to publish something once a week. I used to do this, and it forced me to write. Most weeks, I wouldn’t want to write.
But it is an incredible feeling when I push through the thought of skipping, writing something I’m proud of, and hitting “publish.”
Hopefully, I can stay in shape, and continue to write+publish every single week, for as long as it serves me as a way of staying in good mental shape. :)
See you next week,
B
PS - If you’re happy to see me sharing my thoughts again, hit “reply” and let me know. And/or, share the love with a friend by forwarding this along (I like connecting with other interesting, smart people, like you!).