Principles of Writing

Good writing is ‘useful writing’. Useful writing is novel, correct, important, and strong.

Humans developed writing as a technology for transferring thoughts. A writer’s only purpose is to enable this transfer.

The clearer the thought, the easier its transfer becomes. Clear thinkers are clear writers. Achieve clarity by identifying clear writing and imitating it. Imitate entrepreneurs, imitate economists, imitate investors.

The smoother the transfer, the more permanent the thought becomes. Achieve permanence by fascinating the reader with sticky and persuasive writing.

Don’t seek motivation to write. Write for yourself, be a selfish writer. This means developing an inner scorecard. Keep writing and the score will take care of itself.

How to become a better writer

Improve the elements of your style and grammar. First, learn ‘How not to write’. Then, understand the principles of writing well. Finally, act like a professional in the war of art.

Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. Read your writing, edit errors like a copyeditor and rewrite.

That is all there is to writing.


List of all the links

  1. How to Write Usefully

  2. The Art of Thinking Clearly

  3. The Most Overlooked Trait of Investing Success

  4. Speeches and Writings by Warren Buffett

  5. How to write like the great entrepreneurs

  6. How the Aspiring Can Learn to Write Like Economists

  7. Paul Graham Essays

  8. Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation

  9. Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

  10. Influence: Science and Practice

  11. Selfish Writing

  12. Warren Buffett: The Inner Scorecard

  13. The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership

  14. The Day You Became A Better Writer

  15. The Elements of Style

  16. The Only Grammar Book You’ll Ever Need: A One-Stop Source for Every Writing Assignment

  17. How Not to Write: The Essential Misrules of Grammar

  18. On Writing Well

  19. The Difference Between Amateurs and Professionals

  20. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles

  21. The Copyeditor’s Handbook

  22. Quote by Ernest Hemingway: “The only kind of writing is rewriting.”


Open to questions, thoughts and discussions. Email: firstname.lastname@gmail.com.

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