写作方法2020alexnixon.github.io编辑精选
是时候开始写作了（2019）
It's Time to Start Writing (2019)
导读
这是一篇劝人动笔的短文：写作不只是产出文字，更是把模糊想法理清、把论证结构化的过程，也是让大项目快速推进的隐形能力。文中还对比了写作与幻灯片等表达方式，适合想搞清「为想清楚而写」和「为读者而写」差别的写作者阅读。
可以直接用的写作要点
- 01
把写作当成思考工具：先写出来才能发现自己哪里没想清楚。
- 02
为自己梳理思路而写和写给读者看是两回事，面向读者时要先制造关切、指出他现有认知的缺口。
- 03
写长文比堆幻灯片更容易承载完整的推理和细节，重要观点别只靠要点罗列。
- 04
公开写作能带来清晰、责任感和长期视角，还可能带来意料之外的对话与机会。
HN 评论精选
写作缺失拖慢创新；写作既澄清作者思路又服务读者，而PPT难以承载长篇幅的深入论证。
我认真想过写作这个问题，坚信写作的缺失正在显著拖慢全世界的创新速度。写作其实是亚马逊的超级能力，正是它让亚马逊能快速做成大事。作者和读者都从写作中大受益：写作让思考变得清晰有条理，也帮读者理解作者的观点。补充背景：我曾在麦肯锡工作，工作大致是两件事——(1)把员工脑子里的想法翻译成高管能听懂的东西；(2)做PPT。换句话说，我常在那里，就是因为员工写不好。但我也发现PPT有缺陷：它容不下更长篇幅的思考，有些更重要的点很难传达出去，反而造成混乱。
bradwschiller查看英文原文
I've given significant thought to the writing problem, and I firmly believe the lack of writing is dramatically slowing the pace of innovation in the world. Writing is really Amazon's superpower. It's why they get big things done quickly. Both the author and the audience greatly benefit from the writing. Writing clarifies and structures thinking – helping the reader understand the points the author is making. As a bit more context, I used to work at McKinsey and much of my job fit into two roles: (1) translating what employees were thinking into something executives could understand, and (2) making PowerPoint slides. In other words, I was often there because employees couldn't write well. But, I also found PowerPoint lacking – it's hard to get some of the more important points across (creating some confusion) because it doesn't allow for longer-form thought. I've put a bunch of thoughts together on why writing is important and how we fix our education system to make people better writers. It's based on my experiences supporting tens of thousands of students on improving writing skills – https://bradsblog.com/2020/05/15/1-writing-is-the-most-important-skill-for-the-future-2/.
为思考而写与为读者而写目标不同：面向读者必须先打破其现有心智模型的平衡。
这和我最近看的一场芝加哥大学讲座很契合：讲座探讨了很多学者把写作当作思考工具（正是文章描述的那样），并不考虑读者。写作是形成思想的极强工具。但正如讲座中所说，别指望为思考而写的东西对读者有用！我们思考时通常带有某种渐进性，而阅读时我们是在试图消解当前心智模型中的不协调。这个区别很关键：面向读者写作时，你得让人关心，或让人明白他现有的心智模型为什么不够用；而为自己思考而写时，我们通常已经理解了大体问题，只是在问题空间里游走以弄清各个部分。
alextheparrot查看英文原文
This aligns well with a lecture from the University of Chicago I watched recently[0], which explores how many academics use writing as a tool for thinking (What the article describes) and don’t think about the reader. Writing is an incredibly powerful tool to form thoughts. However, as the lecturer in the video details, don’t expect the writing done for thinking to be useful to readers! When we think, there is usually a certain incrementalism, whereas when we read we’re trying to resolve dissonances in a current mental model. That’s a key distinction, it means you need to make people care or understand why their mental model is broken when writing to informs reader. When we write for our own thinking, we usually understand the general problem already and are just traversing the problem space to better understand different components. [0] https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vtIzMaLkCaM
幻灯片是另一种沟通模式：先给出论证的形状、再非线性地补细节，而非照文章的写法做。
关于PPT常被忽略的一点是：它和写作是根本不同的沟通模式，但人们不这样对待它。它招人讨厌的原因之一是，人们受的训练是写文章和邮件，于是也用同样的方式做PPT。做得好时，幻灯片信息量可以极大（链接见原文）。因为它视觉化，你可以在展开细节之前先呈现论证的“形状”，这是传达复杂想法的强大工具；因为它非线性，你可以放入在文档里会显得啰嗦的细节。当然，这些好处也常让人大讲一知半解的东西。但这种媒介本身黏性很强，是有原因的——它确实有力。
curiousllama查看英文原文
One thing that often gets missed with PowerPoint is that it’s a fundamentally different mode of communication than writing, but people don’t treat it that way. One of the reasons it’s so hated is because people are trained to write essays and emails, and they try to build ppts in the same way. Done well, slides can be incredibly informative (link below). Because it’s visual, you can present the shape of an argument well before having to articulate the details, a tremendously powerful tool for communicating complex ideas. Because it’s nonlinear, you can include a level of detail that would be tedious in a document. Yes, these benefits often enable people to spout half-understood BS. But the medium itself is sticky for good reason - it’s powerful. Edit: link https://medium.com/the-mission/the-greatest-sales-deck-ive-ever-seen-4f4ef3391ba0
持续写作（尤其公开写作）带来思路清晰、责任感与长期视角，也会带来意外机会。
完全同意。我去年开始写投资方面的思考，越写越觉得这是一种超级能力。它带来思路的清晰、责任感，并强制你进行长期思考。而且如果你公开发表，还可能带来意想不到的对话和机会。
mrjivraj查看英文原文
100% agree I started writing investment thoughts last year, and the more I write, the more I realize it is a superpower. It creates clarity of thought, accountability, and enforces longterm thinking. AND, if you do it publicly, it can lead to unexpected conversations & opportunities. Link below in case anyone's interested - always appreciate any feedback :) https://playingfordoubles.substack.com/
同类还值得读
被低估的工程技能：把文章写好
Undervalued Engineering Skills: Writing Well
这篇文章讨论为什么“写得好”是被低估的工程能力，以及它如何在团队协作、系统设计和职业发展中持续带来回报。
写作方法2019 · 1,109 分 · 371 评4 条写作要点编辑精选每行只写一句话：让写作和修改都更轻松的排版法
Writing one sentence per line
这是 Derek Sivers 的一篇短文，主张写作时每行只放一个句子，而不是按段落排版。
写作方法2022 · 849 分 · 297 评4 条写作要点编辑精选书面沟通是远程工作的超级能力
Written communication is remote work super power
这篇文章讨论远程工作中书面沟通的价值，评论区则补充了异步与同步沟通的适用场景，并提醒读者：备忘录、结论先行、结构化命令格式等书面沟通传统早已有之。
写作方法2020 · 831 分 · 190 评4 条写作要点编辑精选如何写出有用的文字
How to Write Usefully
保罗·格雷厄姆在这篇文章里给"有用的写作"下了一个可操作的公式：有用≈重要×新颖×正确×清楚，任一项为零，整篇文章就等于零；他还主张敢下确定判断、删掉让自己心虚的句子。
写作方法2020 · 821 分 · 285 评4 条写作要点编辑精选如何写得更清楚、想得更清楚，并学会复杂材料（PDF）
How to write more clearly, think more clearly, and learn complex material [pdf]
这份 PDF 讨论如何把文章写清楚、把思路理清楚，并用写作来学习复杂材料。
写作方法2022 · 779 分 · 153 评4 条写作要点编辑精选