Thread by @AliAbdaal

Started @Gladwell 's writing masterclass - it's *really* good and I'm only like 30 minutes in. Here are some notes I made.

🧩 Writing is like a puzzle. You're taking pieces and arranging them to make a picture for the reader. It's satisfying in the same way. The only difference is that you don't have the finished picture for reference.

✍️ If the pieces of your writing don't fit, you can make them fit. You can write your way out of a problem.

🍏 The rule of the analogy is that the 2 things you're analogising are not identical. Analogies are supposed to be imperfect."Apples are actually a lot like oranges" is interesting.

🤝 Make promises you don't keep. Filmmakers say 'you should never set an expectation that you don't fulfill'. But it's fine for narratives to be imperfect. Being complete, or being truthful to your inventions, isn't the same as being interesting.

🥅 Being interesting is the goal. Even if it's imperfect.

🔖 The peculiar power of the imperfect puzzle - sometimes what makes stories stand out is the fact that the puzzle is incomplete. The responsibility for finishing it is put on the reader.

🔢 Write in numbered sections. This makes writing easier, because you can solve the problem of transitions by just moving to a new number. Numbers signal to the reader "this thought has finished. We're moving on. Trust me." Structure is your friend.

🛠 Give the readers tools. Start with "I'm going to tell you a story about X, but to understand X, we need some tools". Then talk about the tools. Now the reader has the tools, and they want to know how to use them. Hopefully, the desire to use the tool keeps them reading.

📊 We're interested in data, but only if we have a connection to it. We need someone to explain why it matters. Take the time to set it up. Everyone likes numbers. It's just a matter of preparing them to appreciate them.

🍭 There's a difference between the meal and the treat. The meal is the things you think about. The treat is the things you talk about. Talking about something and thinking about something are different. Give people the meal to think about, but also the candy to talk about.

🍬Give readers candy - the juicy bits that they can talk about in the elevator when they have 10 seconds, or that they can tell their friends about. Funny facts, interesting biographical details.

🙋‍♀️ Invite the reader to guess. I don't say 'this was a puzzle posed by researchers at the time'. I say 'this is a puzzle for you, the reader. What do you think the answer is?'. If the reader thinks it's X, and it's actually Y, that's fun.

😃 Invite readers to put themselves in your story. For example, "the psychologist said her husband does this strange thing where he X". The reader will think "oh yeah my son is sort-of like that too!". Let them do that.

🤔 Withhold information with a purpose - You don't have to withhold the main argument. You can withhold pieces that compel the reader forwards. Think about what you're not going to say in the beginning.

🧙‍♀️ Suspense is a function of time. It's the writer playing with expectations around time. You expect to have been told something by now, and you haven't been. That's suspense.

🤯 Surprise is when I tell you something and you had no idea it was coming, or that you needed to know it. Suspense is when you know you need to know something but you haven't been told it. A good writer plays both surprise and suspense games.