The more effortless the writing looks, the more effort the writer actually put into the process
I call this the Paradox of Creativity: Your work is done when it looks so simple that the consumer thinks they could've done it, which means they won't appreciate how hard you worked.

I like how @jackbutcher illustrated it.
Elegance is the end result of hard work, not the starting point. Strive to make your work so invisible that the reader thinks they could have written what you published.

Matthew McConaughey was asked about the biggest misconception fans had of him.

“People think I roll out of bed and act,” he says.

But it’s the preparation that nobody sees which makes the acting that everybody sees look so effortless.

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More from @david_perell

22 Jan
One of the best ways to improve your writing is to find a brilliant author who nobody knows about.

Read all their work, summarize it, build upon it, and you’ll have people saying “wow, I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
I’ve been reading Lewis Mumford who exemplifies these ideas perfectly.

He studied how technology transformed culture, with a focus on cities and machines. Though he was once influential, his ideas have been forgotten. And now, I’m going to translate them for the Internet age.
We should value originality, but not so much that we ignore the wisdom of those who came before us.

You do the world a great service when you synthesize the ideas of brilliant people who came before you. And when you write about their work, you find ways to build upon it too.
Read 7 tweets
18 Jan
Albert Einstein, on writing.

Two things stand out:

1) Focus on clarity: Make your ideas as understandable as possible, and don't worry about beauty.

2) Repeat yourself if you need to: Difficult concepts need to be repeated, but your ideas should always feel fresh to the reader
Einstein was talking about scientific writing, but it's a good counterweight to the verbose literary style most people learn in school.

In my own writing, I prize beauty. But I never focus on beauty until my essays are clear. Adding flair is the last thing I do before I publish.
Richard Hamming, one of the top scientists of the 20th century, said that good ideas aren't enough.

Everybody's busy, so writers must present their ideas well too. He said: "You have to sell it... If they don't stop and read it, you won't get credit."

(h/t @MarcRuby)
Read 4 tweets
1 Jan
Creatives have two kinds of working: open mode and closed mode.

Open mode: A state of unfocused play where you discover new ideas.

Closed mode: A state of focused work where you work towards a specific outcome.

Like breathing, you inhale in open mode and exhale in closed mode.
The problem with traditional productivity advice is that it doesn’t take open mode seriously. But that’s because closed mode is easier to define, and therefore, easier to write about.

Here’s how John Cleese of Monty Payton write about it.

(h/t @simonsarris)
A couple years ago, @michael_nielsen said to me: “Being distracted is underrated as a goal. Being productive is overrated as a goal. Almost all the best ideas come out of being distracted and unproductive.”

Open and closed mode is a good articulation of why that’s insightful.
Read 7 tweets
30 Dec 20
Online writers should serve three plates of ideas:

1) Samples: Quick ideas that grow your audience by giving people a taste of what you do.

2) Appetizers: Short articles that people can share and try out.

3) Main Course: Long-form essays that are the bedrock of your worldview.
Samples are like tweets. Make them small and publish all the time.

Appetizers should be fun and awaken the audience's appetite for your ideas.

Main courses should be unforgettable and of exceptional quality. They're the meat of your work, but people need time to get there.
Find a mix of samples, appetizers, and main courses that works for you.

As you do, you'll balance the consistency needed to grow an audience with the quality you need to deepen those relationships at scale.

Read 4 tweets
28 Dec 20
Traditional fame sounds terrible, but Internet fame can be good.

Traditional Fame:

∙ Respected for image
∙ The media controls your distribution
∙ Mass-market

Internet Fame:

∙ Respected for ideas
∙ You control your distribution
∙ Niche market of like-minded people
We're moving into a stage where you can be internet famous *and* anonymous.

I've met many people who write anonymously on Twitter, and they have most of the upsides without the downsides of writing under your real name. Expect that to become more common.

perell.com/essay/why-you-…
Pursuing fame should come secondary to the work, as Jiddu Krishnamurti explains so beautifully in the paragraph below Image
Read 4 tweets
22 Dec 20
Instead of working harder, increase your productivity by operationalizing using as much of your work as possible. Then, delegate your recurring tasks.

Here’s a list of my operations checklists.
If you work for yourself, I strongly recommend reading this article from @nateliason. It’s called “The Personal Leverage Loop” and it’ll instantly change the way you think about your work.

Define, refine, automate, delegate.

nateliason.com/blog/personal-…
“How can I delegate my tasks?”

1) Outline the vision.
2) Share resources.
3) Describe your definition of done.

Source: profitfactory.com/360delegation/
Read 6 tweets

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