My Writing Manifesto

Posted Sunday, January 01, 2012

Create something that can last, and something that I can be proud of.

I’ve written hundred of posts over the years. I’ve also removed almost all of them. Especially any that break the following rules:

No Link Posts — If I want to share a link, I’ll post it to Twitter.

No Angry Rants — No one cares about my whining.

No Bad Stand-Up — Observational humour about my life isn’t interesting to anyone who isn’t me.

No “Me Too” Posts — Why write something if I don’t have anything to offer beyond agreement?

Be Constructive — Cynicism is equally easy and worthless. It’s great to have an opinion, but don’t be a dick about it.

Don’t Be Lazy — Do the research. Write confidently.

Don’t Be Afraid of Being Wrong — Nothing here is written in stone. Feel free to edit.

Make it Mean Something — Don’t write for the sake of writing.


Here’s some general advice: if you find yourself beginning […] with a disclaimer of the form “I hate to be that guy” or “I hate to write this,” just don’t say it.

Paul Graham