Writing

A few thoughts on AI-assisted writing

She sat on the bench opposite, the wood damp through her wool trousers – the Jigsaw ones from three years ago, back when she still believed dressing like a senior partner might hasten becoming one. Fake it till you make it, they said. But her Nani had warned her once, in that quiet voice that meant listen carefully: Watch what face you wear too long, beti. It starts to eat the one underneath. -- From the essay.

Writing advice from Ernest Hemingway

He then returns to the psychological payoff of this trying practice: > Don’t get discouraged because there’s a lot of mechanical work to writing. There is, and you can’t get out of it. I rewrote A Farewell to Arms at least fifty times. You’ve got to work it over. The first draft of anything is shit. When you first start to write you get all the kick and the reader gets none, but after you learn to work it’s your object to…

Writing as a way to converse with yourself

I have come to see that writing has become a way for me to be in the deepest conversation with myself while also sensing the hovering presence of another. I don’t know who that other is – perhaps a gentle future reader. This personal conversation feels forbidden, in a way, given my work in journalism. But I find treasures in my thoughts and feelings, and I rush to put them on the page. Then a story takes shape and tells me…

On the joys of writing

What I didn’t realize was that writing a Substack would also reignite my intellect. Over the first five months, I posted an essay nearly every week. I’ve always read a lot, but before, the words passed through me—my mind a sieve. Now, I keep dozens of running files in my notes app about topics I hope to write about. Before, spare moments were taken up by mindless scrolling. Now, they’re spent writing and editing. Substack…

AI and the compression of everything

This reflection was sparked by this tweet from Peter Steinberger, whom you should absolutely follow on Twitter and read on his blog. I came across his account recently and started reading his writing. For an amateur web coder, his blog is surprisingly rich with practical, thoughtful tips. I've also been poking around…

Why write

Writing gives you a license to explore and organize your thoughts. This is the fun bit. Chasing down an idea that interests you, forming questions and then investigating them; it’s a joy. The second most common question I get about my writing is, “How do you motivate yourself to write?” This is the answer. There are so many drafts that live, dormant in my draft folder. So many times I start a piece and lose interest. And…

Blogging is good for your soul!

You should start a blog. Having your own little corner of the internet is good for the soul! But what should you write about? It’s easy to get hung up on this. I’ve definitely felt the self-imposed pressure to only write something if it’s new, and unique, and feels like it’s never been said before. This is a mental trap that does nothing but hold you back.

We're are all unoriginal

Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg and Julia Cameron: We always worry that we are copying someone else, that we don't have our own style. Don't worry. Writing is a communal act. Contrary to popular belief, a writer is not Prometheus alone on a hill full of fire. We are very arrogant to think we alone have a totally original mind. We are carried on the backs of all the writers who came before us. We live in the present…

Rilke's advice to a young poet

On AI-assisted writing

AI-assisted writing allows you to have your cake and eat it too. The pleasure of the creative process, and the pleasure of reading. That’s in fact a test of good slop — do you feel like reading it? My understanding of what’s going on here is in my other AI-assisted-essay-about-AI from last week, about LLMs being similar to index funds for language. This essay could be considered my first modest AI-assisted viral hit. A lot of…