> At the other extreme, writing merely puts into words something readers were already thinking — or thought they were. I actually really like this end of the e

> At the other extreme, writing merely puts into words something readers were already thinking — or thought they were. I actually really like this end of the essay spectrum. Reading (and writing!) this kind of essay can tie together mental loose threads, finishing a nearly-complete bit of thinking, finally coalescing a bunch of static into a coherent signal. The essay can give the concept a name (e.g. maker's schedule, manager's schedule) or at minimum allow referring to the entire conceptual result with a single URL. They can get people talking about a thought that they've all had but never shared. They can provide a new starting line for thinking, allowing it to advance a few millimeters further.