How to write like Paul Graham

Happy Friday folks,

Been a whirlwind of a week.

Write! Write! Write!

That’s what this week has been about.

Which is why today’s about Paul Graham’s rules for writing

Not sure who Paul Graham is…

TL;DR: Paul Graham is to tech what Warren Buffet is to investments.

He is best known for Y Combinator, a startup accelerator he co-founded in Mountain View, California. He is also a programmer, venture capitalist, and essayist.

But today ain’t about what he does - Google servers haven’t crashed yet!

I want to talk about his writing style.

I love Paul Graham's essays.His writing style is so refreshing and one I strive to emulate.

Sometime this week, I discovered that back in 2005, Paul Graham codified his own rules for writing, and they’re all sorts of amazing. Thought to share with you as I plan to start using them from now on.

So, straight from the horse’s mouth, here they are:

• Write a bad version 1 as fast as you can; rewrite it over and over.

• cut out everything unnecessary.

• write in a conversational tone.

• develop a nose for bad writing, so you can see and fix it in yours.

• imitate writers you like.

• if you can’t get started, tell someone what you plan to write about, then write down what you said.

• expect 80% of the ideas in an essay to happen after you start writing it, and 50% of those you start with to be wrong.

• be confident enough to cut.

• have friends you trust read your stuff and tell you which bits are confusing or drag.

• don’t (always) make detailed outlines.

• mull ideas over for a few days before writing.

• carry a small notebook or scrap paper with you.

• start writing when you think of the first sentence; if a deadline forces you to start before that, just say the most important sentence first.

• write about stuff you like.

• don’t try to sound impressive.

• don’t hesitate to change the topic on the fly.

• use footnotes to contain digressions.

• use anaphora to knit sentences together.

• read your essays out loud to see (a) where you stumble over awkward phrases and (b) which bits are boring (the paragraphs you dread reading).

• try to tell the reader something new and useful.

• work in fairly big quanta of time.

• when you restart, begin by rereading what you have so far.

• when you finish, leave yourself something easy to start with.

• accumulate notes for topics you plan to cover at the bottom of the file; don’t feel obliged to cover any of them.

• write for a reader who won’t read the essay as carefully as you do, just as pop songs are designed to sound ok on crappy car radios.

• if you say anything mistaken, fix it immediately.

• ask friends which sentence you’ll regret most.

• go back and tone down harsh remarks.

• publish stuff online, because an audience makes you write more, and thus generate more ideas.

• print out drafts instead of just looking at them on the screen.

• use simple, germanic words.

• learn to distinguish surprises from digressions.

• learn to recognize the approach of an ending, and when one appears, grab it.

M‍y biggest takeaway this week 🚀

Strategy - is the art of pulling stuff apart, and then putting it together to create a new reality.

What I’m thinking about?

Saw some video of one of the Cuomo brothers, something he said there stuck with me all day - LIFE IS PAIN MANAGEMENT!

In other news,

I am working on launching a community for African writers and content marketers, is this something you would be interested in?

Stay safe & sane,

Dozie