For me, the point of writing doesn’t lie in the transfer of information, persuasion, or the construction of a personal brand (shudder). It instead lies in the sometimes magical, sometimes frustrating, always iterative refinement of ideas and identity.

PG’s essay doesn’t touch on two other reasons I find writing so meaningful.

The first is the simple fact that writing can be deeply joyous, when the words come out in a crackling flow of electricity. This doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it leaves an afterglow of what I can only describe as writer’s high. Such writing also tend to be the best, the words sing with verve and humour, and often feel effortless to write.

The second, and most compelling reason I write is the ability to reflexively surf what I like to call the experience-expectation (xp) loop.

— from three reasons to write

Essays first published on Runs and Tumbles, my Substack, are all here too, along with my book reviews from Goodreads. Jots are for things that aren’t full essays: ideas I’ve worked out in threads and posts, gathered in one place. The books themselves are on the reading page.

Words written, by year

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SubstackXLinkedInGoodreads reviewsSchool and college

Counted from my archive: Substack, X, LinkedIn, Goodreads reviews, and school and college writing. It leaves out private messages, work writing and undated drafts, and the early years are thin because most of what I wrote then is lost. Incomplete for now; it fills in as more of the archive comes in.

All writing - view all in one page