Everyone has pull toward the creative things from early age.
I was the same.
From an early age I wanted to do something creative.
This inner thought instilled an anti-average compass in me. This inner compass led me to do all the different things — gaming, graphic design, YouTube videos, theme pages and in the end personal brand.
In 2023 I was working on another “creative thing.” I was building my Instagram brand alongside my internship. The whole process of editing, filming and scriptwriting was tedious and time consuming.
Efficiency made humans evolve over the centuries. Because we always look for ways to bring same results but with minimal effort. My mind was the same, one evening I was admiring the nature from my hostel balcony — a mountain. I had sudden mental click — An insight hit me.
Human mind is a pattern recognition machine. My mind presented me with a pattern I was ignoring all along — I liked intuitive writing. It became self-evident when I had experiences like — Writing memes, daily-journal, video scripts were under my belt.
The most crucial factor — writing put me into a selfless state called Flow State way faster than any skill. It was the activity and skill that I could do anywhere — on a walk, after reading, sitting at the quiet bench.
At first, I wrestled with the idea of pivoting but after hours of mental struggle, I chose to pursue writing as my creative pursuit. Now I see it as a habit which I’ll keep until my deathbed.
Writing Builds Legacy
In primal days humans began carving signs and symbols on the walls. Over time, these symbols evolved into a process to transfer knowledge. Humans write books and preserve information which we call language today.
Writing left legacies, stayed even after countless falls of civilizations. The wisdom passed through written words. Today you can read Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” written in 5th Century BCE only for emperors and gain insights. Another example is Rome emperor’s book “Meditations” which survived after 100 years of the fall of Rome.
Writing is exposed from childhood, but it ends with mere imitation — no creativity, no originality, bland words you have to copy. Traditional writing from schools was boring and repetitive. This made almost everyone hate writing. I was the same until I discovered the creative writing.
Society doesn’t leave a chance to glorify useless things:
Conformity over Authenticity
Productivity over Creativity
Status over Fulfillment
But the creative writing makes people’s thinking sharp. The sharp thinking creates people who are irreplaceable because they earn with their mind not from their labor or time. This includes people like — Creatives, Authors, Writers, Entrepreneurs, Visionaries to name a few.
No, the noise of AI can’t replace people who know how to leverage their unique perspective, human connection and creativity.
Reframing Overwhelm
You’re not learning if you’re not confused half the time. — Richard Feynman
When I first started to learn the basics of writing, I made a lot of mistakes all over the process. I didn’t know where I was going so I pumped volume — more writing= better writing. Right?
if you want to be a good writer, the reality is — what you write is more important than mindless hours writing.
Learn to leverage the techniques of greats in the domain while writing. Writing random journal is a good practice for absolute beginners but won’t sustain a long-term benefit for you as a writer.
when I first began writing, the thought of me using writing frameworks overwhelmed me. This situation makes most people fold. They either numb their mind with distractions or let resistance hold themselves, and don’t write a single word.
Meaningful things are destined to bring resistance to you in the short term, because it’s your old self fighting with the new self you are reinventing into.
The solution is to reframe the overwhelm. Consider overwhelm as a sign of your mind an expanding. It is no different than the tension you feel while working out.
Writing Reinforces Learning
Writing is, without dispute, the best facilitator for thinking, reading, learning, understanding and generating ideas we have. — Sönke Ahrens
Most people dabble between too much information. It clouds their minds rather than giving them clarity which ironically was the original reason they started the learn.
As in my previous letter about learning 10x faster I talked about starting a project, a vessel which you can use to reach your goal most effectively.
This Letter is a prime example of a mini project I try to sustain between weeks. This fuels my content, potential lead magnets and hopefully one day it will fuel a book I plan to write. This is a mental training session for the information I consume.
Without a doubt one of the best ways to learn is to — teach. With the leverage of internet, you can get paid to teach thing that seem obvious to you but can be life altering to someone else because you’ve made progress in some domain of life.
Writing serves as a medium that forces you teach the things through dissecting different parts of your learning. This process of understanding through dissection of various parts makes a beginner into a master.
Writing is the skill which you can get better at faster than anything, let it be through constant repartition or let it be through tips. Remember the Action steps works if you sit down and actually write.
At the start you don’t need to write a book chapter every day, begin with 20-30 minutes session until you go beyond 90 minutes uninterrupted session. Nothing will work until you do.
Writing Refines Thinking
Everyone thinks alchemy is dead, but alchemists live among us—they are called editors: adept in the art of transformation, they practice arcane methods of selection, deletion and synthesis to take what is base and produce gold. — Anthony Marais
In 2025 the AI space is booming with prompts, ideas and new ways to do creative stuff.
Too many people are worried about sustaining a low leverage job when a creative skillset can make them irreparable, this is how you earn through your mind not from time.
Ai is a tool which will make creative work more efficient. As the invention of calculator didn’t make mathematicians go instinct, nor will AI make creative workers instinct.
When most people will outsource their writing as a whole, they are at disadvantage of degrading the quality of their thinking. Because Writing forces you to think, bring clarity, improves your mental health and lets you see mental pattern in physical real, which you wouldn’t notice in mental one.
This is how you become a Morden Alchemist — A person who turns mental mess into clarity in physical realm for a better future.
Write to learn better.
Write to think clear.
Write to be creative.
Write to refine worldview.
Write to be more articulate.
Write to understand yourself.
Write to build a content library.
Write to birth your philosophy.
Write to change your behavior.
Write to increase your awareness.
Write to tell countless stories you have.
Write to create valuable content — Tweets, Ads, Blogs, E-mails, Newsletters, Lead Magnets, Sales pages, YouTube scripts.
Writing will show you the power of being a creator. You will adapt a lens of a creator. Each insight, story has potential to turn into a masterpiece you have created. If you are a deep thinker like me, it will let you construct, wrestle and refine words and worlds like you’ve never seen before.
Actionable Steps to Save You 10s of Hours:
1) Feedback loop
Your writing sucks because you don’t have enough feedback, data-points that can tell, how you can get better at it. to get these data points you need a project.
A project is your management process that you undertake to make progress toward a result, under it there are deadlines, milestones and systems.
When I first started to write I had a clear intention to put my writing in public. Yes, it’s scary at first but once you make it a daily habit then this becomes a second nature.
Your personal brand is your resume, you can start sharing ideas and get better at writing by simply sharing ideas you discover. Internet had made the media leverage free for almost everyone. When you write under your brand you have to write all formats, types of writing, generate ideas, manage time it teaches you to life management skills. This makes you irreplaceable artist not a starving one.
As a new writer you have 2 options:
Either spend time sharing your writing to people, friends or family member who aren’t much interested in topic or share with like-minded passionate peoples who are hungry.
When you choose platform Like X, Threads, LinkedIn and start sharing one favorite idea today and turn your delusional dream of working into realistic plans. Start a personal brand even if you don't feel qualified to write.
2) Know Thyself = Know Your Reader
“But what should I write about?”
“Where should I begin writing”
“How would I know What I write is valuable?”
Question like these started to flood through my mind as I first started to write. These even hold me back to write something for months. But Humans are selfish creatures. That fact is not to feel sad about. I do not care about writing for some old man in Alaska, but I do care peoples who are struggling with problems like me.
I’m firm believer in — create what you wish existed. this also bring that serving your shadow — you can’t finder a better reader than your lost younger self. This also busts the “you need to find your niche bro” advice, instead “you need to find people like you bro”
Chances are you are somewhat like my younger version who wants to learn writing. That’s Why you are reading this. This is how human evolve, pass down lessons and create more than a brand but a legacy. Start writing to your lost past self.
3) What Is in It for Me?
“You may have brilliant ideas, the kind that could revolutionize the world, but unless you can express them effectively, they will have no force, no power to enter people’s minds in a deep and lasting way.” – Robert Greene
Most people won’t want to read your writing because they do not help them achieve a goal. You writing never solves the unspoken question — “What’s in it for me?”
There are infinite ways to make your writing interesting. But if we stick to principle, it is to evoke curiosity thought you’re writing where its focuses on Pain points and benefits. Most good writing pieces in the digital writing stems from leads them to rise over a problem. That is why most writing framework begins with a problem — PAS, P&P, PAPA to name a few.
Before writing anything ask:
What problem or benefits this piece provides the reader. what problem does it solves?
Another way to make your writing impactful is to hook the reader. From the tv show Peaky Blinders, Thomas Shelby’s purposeful walk with song “Red Right Hand” hooks the viewers in each episode.
This is how you give people who have unlimited information at their fingertips a new perspective to dive into your writing.
4) People Love skimming
“The means of learning are abundant; it’s the desire to learn that’s scarce.”- Naval
Most modern comfort, technology and easily accessible resources had made humans lazy. And the final blow had been done by social media that has made people’s attention span less than a goldfish. So, when you start to write in public as a digital writer, one way to hook people into your content is to use pains and benefits as I have discussed above. To keep them reading you have to make your writing skim able.
Here are few ways to make your writing skim able
Make 1st and last sentence powerful (your hooks and end.)
Use Lists and bullet points into your writing.
Use Whitespace
Avoid jargon
This is why cliché advice in writing space “be clear not clever” exists. Because clarity gives your reader a clear perspective like the one, I am giving you right now.
5) Levels Of Awareness
The Old School marketer Eugene Schwartz in his book Breakthrough Advertising introduced this concept. This made whole advertising industry view things in new light.
This is important because whatever seem “normal” to you can be life altering to yourself. Think back 5 years ago how you would live, if you knew lessons you know today.
THE 5 LEVELS OF AWARENESS:
i) Unaware: The reader is unaware of a problem they have.
ii) Problem Aware: The reader is that they have a problem but not sure what is causing it or how to solve it.
iii). Solution Aware: The reader is aware that a solution exists but unaware of your solution.
iv). Product Aware: The reader is aware of your free or paid solution but either haven’t implemented it or are hesitant to act on it.
V). Most Aware: Aware of your solution and ready to act on it — all they need is a little push of persuasion.
As a writer you need to keep these things while writing top of your mind. This will create vivid and more accurate image of your ideal reader. While writing any piece of writing don't forget to ask yourself that what level of awareness you are targeting.
6) Constraints Creates Creativity
The paradox of creativity I've faced:
When you set your brain free without a project, goal or outline you mind gets into the state of chaos. But when you give it a goal it will generate creative ideas even if you are not actively working on the project.
Our mind is a pattern recognition machine, and it makes sense when you let it time to rest. That is why you have those shower thoughts. The insights hit you at the moments when you least expect. Not on your work desk but on a walk, in a shower or while doing something irrelevant. IN Neuroscience calls it — DMN (default mode network.)
If you want to generating creative ideas effortless then…
Commit to a project — book, newsletter, article etc.
Start a raw outline for some bits.
Change the task, rest - study, walk, train
Let your subconscious cook some creative ideas
Jot down those ideas and refine the outline overtime.
This is how you can turn your procrastination into a creative rest and as knowledge worker have way better output than the hustle bro who only wants to check some boxes because that gives his ego boost.
For a good example this later may have been delayed because of my exams, But I spend hours outlining this letter while produced 0 word but on the 5th day I produced 1200+ words in one session. That may not be an impressive number, but it paints a picture of the point here.
Few backward steps to jump higher.
7) The Easiest Framework
There are many frameworks which I use — APAG, PAS and WWH to name a few.
The WWH - “What”, “Why” and “How.” This is the simplest I’ve found from Dakota Robertson a twitter ghostwriter.
When you are writing on any topic ask yourself these questions…
What is the topic I’m writing about?
Why it is relevant to your reader?
How can reader apply this knowledge?
This clearly sets the tone for your letter, message and also increases the impact of the levels of awareness I mentioned in the 5th action step. When stuck at blank page, nothing to write ask what, why and how behind the topic and let your mind unfold ideas you would haven't thought of before.
8) Write Drunk Edit Sober
The simplest way to save time in your writing process:
Write and edit at different times. The first draft is like throwing a kite into the wind—spontaneous and open-minded. The final draft is like tightening the string—refined and precise. Separate the two = smooth process.
he worst thing for your writing output you can do is write and edit at the same time. Because both take different processes of the mind. Writing is a creative process, but editing is more analytical approach.
To be efficient with your writing process is to pour all the ideas in the first draft without holding back. Then put your draft in the refrigerator. (Freeze your mind thinking about it)
After some hours come back and then readout loud and edit. Then cut out the fluff, jargon words.
Ask yourself questions like:
How can I make this concise?
Can I say the same thing in fewer words?
How can I use the rule of 3 in my writing?
The good writing piece doesn’t start with chasing perfection in the 1st Draft. Chase’s progress in draft and perfection in editing. Hit post without reaching the pinnacle of perfection.
9) Conviction
“Fortune Favours the bold” — Virgil
The world hate uncertainty, a mental reframe you can have when writing is to be a leader not a “writer,”
Write clear
Write with conviction
Avoid ambiguous words — “I think, may”
Because the best writers are bold writers. The ambiguous individuals don’t get anywhere. instead think of yourself as a visionary who is taking peoples on a journey with their writing. Even if you change your opinions later on with new information write with conviction. Because humans are meant to change and refine as they progress not to stay static.
This is like what Ken Wilber says — “Transcend and Include.”
10) White Space
When I was going through a coding book, I’ve noticed they have broken different complex topics into simple lists.
You can this pattern in most thing, lists provide clarity, better readability and make things memorable. but the core principle at work is originally a design principle that increase aesthetics. Yet it applies to writing too especially on social media.
You are less likely to read a paragraph over a clear bullet pointed tweet. To use whitespace into your writing:
Break down long chunk of texts.
Break down points into lists
Use line spacing (especially on social media)
This shows that clarity is at play in the core of whitespace and writing
11) Progressive Drafts
“I only write when I am inspired. Fortunately, I am inspired at 9 o’clock every morning.” — William Faulkner
The Paradox of perfection I face while a creative task…
If I chase perfection, I often make slow progress. If I chase iteration, I make fast progress & get a step closer to perfection. Years of being a perfectionist taught me - Iteration is better than striving for “perfect.”
While writing your first draft will be messy. This is one more reason to not chase perfect drafts but progressive drafts. Put progress over perfection.
Block out 30-60 minutes every single day to write at the same time.
When you have inspiration, do not forget to act on it immediately, but remember....
Inspiration comes & goes, Discipline stays.
Thank you for reading.
For Daily Posts, Tune in on X.
Until the next chapter.
Abhay Gautam.