Thread by @eigenrobot

first, clarity and directness are separate attributes

its possible to write with great lucidity while also selectively misdirecting your audience about your meaning; and vice versa

https://twitter.com/s_r_constantin/status/1612892298307842049

second, writing has multiple communicative modes, as does speaking.

for example, perhaps you are writing as if from a pulpit to convey information primarily in one direction to a broad audience. in this case direct and clear language may be optimal.

there are other modes!

you may also--for example--engage with a single person in mutual conversance; or hold forth at a party, with frequent interjections from a small audience.

by and large, tweeting is often more akin to these scenarios in its dynamic. there is one salient difference, however

while at a party, or in a discussion with a single person, it's likely you are familiar with your interlocutor(s), and that you like them and can easily reach a kind of resonance

that is: your audience is in a sense pre-filtered.

on twitter, this very much does not obtain

_clarity_ of conveyance remains important in this case, but the utility of directness may be subverted: for by selectively reducing directness one may minimize the likelihood that hostile passers-by and wet blankets will alight on your pleasant conversation

if this is the sort of conversation in which your heart delights--intimate, but open to new like minds and unbounded by geography--there is no invention of the age greater than twitter dot com

but you must use a bit of art to select for winsome interlocutors

there is a second reason for clear yet indirect conveyance, which reinforces the first from both sides but is not so crassly utilitarian

that reason is that indirection and misdirection are FUN

esotericism gratifies and flatters the careful reader who takes a bit of effort to identify your meaning

reading and writing puzzles should spark joy

https://twitter.com/eigenrobot/status/1090122817410977792

of course there is an upfront cost: and so it is your sacred duty as an esotericist to amply reward the faith of those who persevere by making the revelation a delight

if you neglect to do this, you're just writing badly

a final advantage of indirection is the sense of mutual comprehension engendered between the understanding reader and the esoteric writer. you now share a pleasant secret; your worlds are a bit less lonely, a bit warmer.

that's worth a lot.

i love this framing

https://twitter.com/Philostratus2/status/1612935025141350409