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Are writers today wasting their time?
Hey Reader,
“How many newsletters have you printed out and put on your bookshelf?”
I keep thinking about this rhetorical question posed by Nat Eliason on X.
As he works on writing longform for a book draft, Nat realizes how different the process is from writing for the Internet. He fears great ideas “suffer from the ephemerality of the platforms”.
At the same time, he concedes the book would not exist if it hadn’t been for his blog.
“This has been my conundrum,” he says. “I can’t deny my blog's importance in getting my career to this point. But I also can’t deny the ways it might distract from my ultimate goals moving forward.”
Nat’s full post is definitely worth reading.
It’s true: we don’t tend to frame online posts or print out articles to put on our shelves. In order for ideas to truly stand the test of time, packaging them in a book seems like the best way to go.
If you’ve ever written a book, you know how hard this is. Writing a good book requires deep thought and focus. You have to put yourself in a different headspace from that of writing shorter online posts aimed at going viral.
It seems like there’s a battle between two things:
- Thoughtful, longform writing that stands the test of time (meant to make an impact and leave a legacy)
- Bite sized Internet content that is quickly forgotten (meant to stay relevant and grow your audience)
But it doesn’t need to be a tug of war. One benefits the other.
Instead of considering short form posts an annoying requirement to stay relevant, we can think of them as opportunities to test and refine our ideas—opportunities that also happen to build our audience.
If you have a decade of experience, hard skills, and a refined idea already ready to share, sure, write the book.
But most of us have ideas that would benefit from further refinement. Shorter form content doesn’t have to be a distraction from the deeper, “more important” writing or something you “need” to do to stay on the hamster wheel of relevancy. It can be a chance to workshop your ideas.
When you share short form versions of your ideas in public, you’ll discover new references and get feedback that will hone your idea into something even better.
The problem is when the only thing you’re doing is shorter form, ephemeral content with no focus on longevity and impact. Having a bigger vision gives purpose to your daily habits and ensures you’re building toward the plan you have for the next decade.
[ SPONSOR SNIPPET ]
PODCAST
How a Billionaire Decides to Take Risks
Tune in this week to discover how a billionaire decides to take risks, and why they might decide to hold off and play the long game.
We discuss the value of thinking in terms of revenue per employee when it comes to taking risks to grow your business, we share some of the risks we’ve taken, and we bring you more examples of entrepreneurs and businesses playing chess, not checkers.
ARTICLE
How to get customers for any new business
The Bullseye Framework, from a book called Traction by Gabriel Weinberg, gives you a straightforward method for finding the channel that will give you the most traction.
Michael Girdley breaks the framework down in an issue of his newsletter:
BOOK
48 Laws of Power
Robert Greene distills lessons from the most powerful figures in history into a set of laws that can help anyone become more powerful.
Each law is accompanied by historical examples and anecdotes. Even if you wouldn't apply a certain law yourself, it's helpful to understand how others may do so.
Have a great week!
—Nathan
Nathan Barry
I'm a designer who turned into a writer who turned into a startup CEO. My mission is to help creators earn a living. Subscribe for essays on building an audience and earning a living as a creator.