Words as Material

An absolutely wonderful piece on writing.

Matt Jones: “[Writers] are the fastest designers in the world. They’re amazing at boiling down incredibly abstract concepts into tiny packets of cognition, or language.” ... writing is part of every design. If you can clearly define what you’re making and articulate its value, the steps to bring it out into the world will go much faster.

This resonates about 1,000% with my experience.

Writing can be a tool for talking to ourselves when we’re still figuring things out. A sort of mirror or feedback system. A way to understand and articulate design.

When I sit down to write, I don’t usually know what I’m going to say. It’s only through the act of writing that it becomes clear that I need to say anything at all.

Quoting David foster Wallace who is talking about ordinary people of their craft being able to explain their craft

maybe being able to communicate with people outside one’s area of expertise should be taught, and talked about, and considered as a requirement for genuine expertise.