Writing with the end goal in mind

In the end, what helped me write more was to write with the intent to publish.

This can be a scary thing because it’s only natural to seek external validation and praise for our work. I had to let go of this, and instead realize that my ultimate goal is simply to write more. Maybe the things I write about help someone else, that’s nice. But in the end, I write for myself and move on.

Micro.blog has been a huge enabler for this. Previously, I would write a lot and collect a lot of good material worth publishing on my website. But then I would get caught in the cycle of perfecting my words, finding and trying to link my prior writings into the new one.

This was futile because I was expecting to form one coherent narrative across all my posts. That is an essential part of writing long, scientific bodies of work but not so relevant for blogposts I think.

With micro.blog, I write with the intent to publish right away. Anything I write reflects my thoughts and learning on the subject matter in that moment. It’s a snapshot of my mind that is not meant to linger.

Subconsciously though, connections between individual posts form and grow organically and lead to longer forms of writing. I no longer intentionally try to find connections, I find the connections in the text I write automatically.

Writing, ultimately is what forms connections and matures our thinking. No tool is going to help you do that.