Why Writing Matters

Atomic Essay #1

The Incandescent Newsletter is on pause until mid-June, but enjoy the following atomic essay. I’m publishing this type of content every day for thirty days on Twitter. Check it out here. Enjoy!

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Pen beats sword. (Source)

Today we live in a world of information abundance, not scarcity. And it's not just the content that is abundant, it's the medium too.

We have information overflowing into so many different channels. Social media platforms, personal websites, and books.

We are living in a golden age of content.

So why should we still care about writing?

It doesn't have any fancy bells or whistles. There aren't any big dopamine hits when you see a wall of text (quite the opposite actually).

Here's why writing matters:

1. Writing is an integral part of all knowledge.

You don't know what you know until you're forced to write about it.

You thought you understood Bitcoin? Can you write a short paragraph explaining how it works?

2. Writing is a high leverage activity, if you publish it.

When other people read your published writing, it's as if they are having a conversation with you. But you don't actually need to be there.

You can "talk" with 1,000 people over 100 days by only publishing once. And you can keep "talking" even if you're working, relaxing, or even sleeping.

3. Clear your mind

By writing down your thoughts, you're clearing one of the many thoughts that swirl around in your head.

Our minds are designed to process information, not store it.

And that's why I'm starting my online writing journey. Let's write.

If you enjoyed this, find more of my atomic essays on Twitter. Thank you!

That’s all for now. See you!

— Guan Jie