Why Write

Why should one write, asks (and answers) Shane Parrish. No, writing is “not just a vehicle to share ideas with others”. Rather:

“Writing is the process by which you realize that you do not understand what you are talking about. Importantly, writing is also the process by which you figure it out.”

 

Paul Graham wrote the same thing:

“A good writer doesn't just think, and then write down what he thought, as a sort of transcript. A good writer will almost always discover new things in the process of writing.”

 

In addition, writes Parrish:

“Writing requires the compression of an idea. When done poorly, compression removes insights. When done well, compression keeps the insights and removes the rest. Compression requires both thinking and understanding.”

I guess that’s what summary writing at school was trying to teach!

 

Another purpose of writing is to understand things for yourself – this is often called the Feynman learning technique, after the physicist, Richard Feynman. If you really want to understand an idea, the Feynman technique calls for 3 steps:

1. Word it the way you would to explain it to say, a 6^th standard child. This is harder than it sounds:

“If you can’t clearly and simply define the words and terms you are using, you don’t really know what you’re talking about.”

But when you do manage to word it that way:

“When you write out an idea from start to finish in simple language that a child can understand, you force yourself to understand the concept at a deeper level and simplify relationships and connections between ideas.”

2. The attempt to phrase it in a way a kid could understand will almost always fail. Why? Because of gaps in your knowledge, inability to explain something, or trouble in connecting different aspects.

“Filling those gaps is when you really make the learning stick.”

        3. Go over the stuff you wrote and update it as needed. If you go over this material periodically, you’ll find it is the best way to revise almost anything with maximum comprehension.

 

Interesting perspectives all. The best writing is as much for oneself as it is for others.