Do you spot patterns? Or do you seek to escape them? Some people spend their lives observing and then categorizing and classifying the thing they see. They are the generalizers. They advance human knowledge by creating tools with broad applicability. A new generalized insight can be a breakthrough. I am a generalizer. I love to…
What make a great idea? In my view, an idea that matters is one that makes an impact on the world. There are of course the once-in-a-generation ideas that transform everyone’s thinking, like evolution, the discovery of DNA, the World Wide Web, or civil rights. But I’m thinking just a little bit smaller — probably…
Here it is in a nutshell. Use AI do to tedious crap you’d rather not do yourself. Check everything it comes up with. Trust nothing. Use your own judgment to make decisions. It helps, but it can’t replace you. The smarter you are, the more you can use it to help — and the more…
For many decades, I worked for companies. I defined my work by those organizations and their goals. That’s was always a tradeoff. For the last ten years, I’ve worked for myself, ostensibly independent. I found my own clients, set my own hours, generated my own revenue, and made my own choices. It’s a great way…
A number of prominent authors, including Benjamin Dreyer and Gregory Maguire, recently published an open letter to the publishing industry. (Read the full version here.) I appreciate the sentiment. But a number of the recommendations are, in my view, unrealistic. AI has already been embedded into writing processes, ranging from the grammar tools in Microsoft…
Newsletter 101: Why writers puff up prose, and why it never works. Plus, an open letter to publishers, AI-generated books that never appear, three people to follow and three books to read. The superlative trap Hey, everyone! I’m the greatest, most talented, most super-accomplished writer that you’ve ever encountered. 🥳🎉🥳🎉 Admit it. You read that…
If you hire me as an editor and your work has problems, I’m going to tell you. And I’m not going to sugarcoat it, either. These are the kinds of comments I frequently make: I sometimes wonder why people don’t fire me, but so far, with more than 100 clients, no one has told me…
Your ghostwriter is going to do a lot more for you than you originally thought. They’re going to critically assess your idea, then work with you until it’s strong enough to live in the world. They’re going to calm you down and boost your spirits. They’re going to untangle your twisted logic and make it…
Writing a book is a lot of work. The hard parts aren’t worth doing unless you enjoy the fun parts. Which parts are fun? Here’s a list of my favorite parts. Of course it may be different for you. It’s not just about your fun, you know Books written in tedium are tedious to read….