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> The more precise and niche the words I input, the better the internet would match me with people I could forge meaningful relationships with. Relatable and c

by klabb3 3y ago

> The more precise and niche the words I input, the better the internet would match me with people I could forge meaningful relationships with. Relatable and counter-intuitive. I have this reflex when I write that I’m trying to reach an imaginary broad audience. But whenever it’s extremely specific, to the point when I don’t expect anyone to even know what I’m talking about, it tends to drive more “engagement”, in a good way! In a way it makes sense, when I’m reading some generic truism, I don’t get any itch to engage, even if it was well written. If you, like me, have been stuck writing and it’s slow and ends up bland, I can recommend just changing the mental “audience”. Just assume you’re talking to someone who really gets you – perhaps your younger self or a nerdy friend. Don’t be defensive, trying to convince a hypothetical, hyper-intelligent skeptic. To me it can make the difference from dreadful and tedious to pure delight.

rpastuszak 3y ago
This, 100%. The audience varies slightly, but 99% of time I'm talking to a friend or a colleague. And, it's not even about the subject matter, but rather the voice I use. > If you, like me, have been stuck writing and it’s slow and ends up bland, To me this is a sign that I'm either tired or don't care about the subject, but haven't realised that yet. Write about the things that matter to you (harder than it seems).
jseliger 3y ago
To me it can make the difference from dreadful and tedious to pure delight. Yes. My wife worries a lot about this; she was worried that her 16,000-word, three-part essay guide on how to find clinical trials, and what the process was like for us (https://bessstillman.substack.com/p/please-be-dying-but-not-too-quickly https://bessstillman.substack.com/p/please-be-dying-but-not-...) would be too long and peculiar. Instead, it's found a wide audience, and perhaps most vitally, she's gotten a lot of great emails and comments from readers. Astral Codex Ten in particular has great readership. I'm not sure whether she's forged meaningful relationships that way yet, but the potential is there. And if some people are put off by the peculiarities and quirkiness, so be it. To be for everyone is close to being for no one, as you mention.
- sebmellen 3y ago
  Hey Jake, good to see you are still here! I’ve been following your story from afar and it’s wild to see a comment from you on HN. Hope all is (as) well (as can be) given the circumstances!
- sizzle 3y ago
  Reading your journey and the beautiful writing by your wife and sister(?) was absolutely gripping. I donated what little I can to the cause. I truly hope the pharma research world can help you out. Cancer has affected too many people in my life.
  - jseliger 3y ago
    Thank you! Much appreciated. Cancer has affected too many people in my life I'm obviously interested in prolonging my own life in order to spend more time with Bess, but the prospect of helping advance science, in however tiny a way, is also attractive. In 2020 I signed up for an organization that sought to do human challenge trials. I would've happily taken a vaccine and then been exposed to covid for the sake of ending the pandemic sooner.

by klabb3 3y ago

rpastuszak 3y ago

This, 100%. The audience varies slightly, but 99% of time I'm talking to a friend or a colleague. And, it's not even about the subject matter, but rather the voice I use. > If you, like me, have been stuck writing and it’s slow and ends up bland, To me this is a sign that I'm either tired or don't care about the subject, but haven't realised that yet. Write about the things that matter to you (harder than it seems).

jseliger 3y ago

To me it can make the difference from dreadful and tedious to pure delight. Yes. My wife worries a lot about this; she was worried that her 16,000-word, three-part essay guide on how to find clinical trials, and what the process was like for us (https://bessstillman.substack.com/p/please-be-dying-but-not-too-quickly https://bessstillman.substack.com/p/please-be-dying-but-not-...) would be too long and peculiar. Instead, it's found a wide audience, and perhaps most vitally, she's gotten a lot of great emails and comments from readers. Astral Codex Ten in particular has great readership. I'm not sure whether she's forged meaningful relationships that way yet, but the potential is there. And if some people are put off by the peculiarities and quirkiness, so be it. To be for everyone is close to being for no one, as you mention.

sebmellen 3y ago
Hey Jake, good to see you are still here! I’ve been following your story from afar and it’s wild to see a comment from you on HN. Hope all is (as) well (as can be) given the circumstances!
sizzle 3y ago
Reading your journey and the beautiful writing by your wife and sister(?) was absolutely gripping. I donated what little I can to the cause. I truly hope the pharma research world can help you out. Cancer has affected too many people in my life.
- jseliger 3y ago
  Thank you! Much appreciated. Cancer has affected too many people in my life I'm obviously interested in prolonging my own life in order to spend more time with Bess, but the prospect of helping advance science, in however tiny a way, is also attractive. In 2020 I signed up for an organization that sought to do human challenge trials. I would've happily taken a vaccine and then been exposed to covid for the sake of ending the pandemic sooner.