As someone who writes, I can relate to a lot of this, but there are aspects that aren't true to my experience. > If you make an effort, you can read your writi

As someone who writes, I can relate to a lot of this, but there are aspects that aren't true to my experience. > If you make an effort, you can read your writing as if you were a complete stranger Somewhat. Through effort I can take on a more objective perspective, but there is no platonic stranger I could pick out. Everyone has his own context and his own needs. What I try to do instead is visualize people I know who are not close friends. I think "What would X think if she were reading this?" > If he's not satisfied because you failed to mention x or didn't qualify some sentence sufficiently, then you mention x or add more qualifications I think this game is endless. There will always be a nitpicker (Hello!). I try to say enough to show that I know what I'm talking about, but beyond that I find that it chokes the broader point that I want to make. ~ For me, the real value is that writing makes language almost physical. What would normally vanish in a moment in speech becomes something you can touch, sculpt, and rearrange. And in doing so you're forced to contend with the form of it and really think through every word, and every train of thought ("Is this really what I want to say? Is this really how I should say it?"). I think this can be done in speech as well if you're in a true debate with someone who cares about language, but it's much harder. And depending on your temperament, there's a "those who can't do teach" problem where writing about something makes you feel like an expert on it. As always, the important thing is to act.