My earliest thoughts about writing came as inspiration from reading others, of course. I wanted to write down my thoughts as well but did not understand who my audience was. How would I best connect with them? Reaching out to people I read to understand this did not even cross my mind!

Even though most people I read and liked to read used simple language. I somehow equated using high-sounding words as the basis of an accomplished writer. An oversight that I did not think too deeply about. It was hard to draw a line categorize between the extremes.

When I would start writing something, there would be constant second-guessing and tinkering, either make the thing sound right or be right or end with the right takeaway. The issue here is I would both write and edit my content at the same time, which made it much much harder to get to the finish line.

Now we come to one of the most cited issues stopping someone. The imposter syndrome, the feeling of not being good enough, being in the wrong place, not having enough depth or breadth of thought.

I could probably add a couple more blockers here! or maybe before the imposter point.

In the meantime, I have continued to read others’ articles, listen to them talk about writing, take a short course or two. Over time it seems to me writing is both harder and simpler than I have thought.

Harder, how? Writing, creating something out of thin air, is inherently hard. Heard of some people locking themselves up, Others waiting on the slow drip of inspiration, etc. Everyone struggles.

And then simpler? The simpler part is for us to be conscious about, develop structures and rituals which aid us to get done. To finish is the most critical element.

Instead of worrying about the audience, start writing as a personal journalling project. Write about things you are curious about, start observing things around you and bring them to your journal.

Writing helps to develop our observation skills, clarifying our thoughts by forcing a structure on our analyses and conclusions. An early variant of Feynman’s learning method.

Focus on journalling and our curiosities also enable us to keep things simple, the language, the medium, the scope creep. Simple things can also be taken to the finish in time.

How do we then move from a personal journal to a public post? Explicitly share your posts with a few friends and family, and ask for critical feedback. Don’t become defensive to feedback, be curious and engage with the ones who are taking their time out to read you.

Do this more and more, gradually expand your circle, build up a learning loop, of constant feedback and iteration. This level of engagement is where we usually start seeing the hockey stick curve of personal growth. Not just our writing, but our thought process and mental model of reality will start to transform.

The final nail to this article is quantity leads to quality. The more you write, the more you will finish, and the better you will write.