You should write

“I don't have anything to say” or, ”I'm not expert enough on that topic”.

That's what I've heard from many of my friends when it comes to whether or not they put words to pen. They want to write, have tried on occasion, and over time fizzle out.

The reason, I think, is because of an expectation for writing; that the words created must be as good as the best words they've read. Any of us who stick with writing long enough do so out of a love for it; spawned from our original love for reading. We voraciously gobble up whatever words we can, always seeking for more——and the output of all that consumption turns into a desire to construct our own thoughts.

In fact, I've heard it said many times that you can't be a great rider unless you're someone who loves to read. In my anecdotal experience that's true.

For me, that doesn't mean everything I write is good. Not even close. But rather that I seek to write as a natural output, not as an end goal to meet milestones.

You can also write for the proverbial twin version of yourself—imagining what you wish was written and just do it (an idea I heard from Gruber a while back.

That helps remove pressure, helps encourage creating, writing, sharing.

I've also been inspired by figures such as Stephen King and Dean Wesley-Smith, who talk about the importance of writing no matter what. Dean's idea of writing into the dark is especially helpful—don't edit while writing, just trust your fingers and see where they take you; trust the subconscious mind that's gathered all those many ideas over the years, and keep going till you get stuck; then back up and try again.

Most days I write, and most days I publish what I write. I still have aspirations of getting back into longer form (it's been far too long since I've written a novel), but it's meaningful to force myself to return to the practice on as many days as possible, knowing that I don't need magic to strike; rather that I will put in the effort regardless of results.

In a day and age where television seems to be taking over everything, I have a deeper appreciation for people who take a little bit of time to gather their thoughts, and write them out.

Of course, because it's 2026; we have to enter the question of ChatGPT (and its ilk).

Frankly, I don't want to read what an LLM has to think on a topic if you're passing that off as your own.

That doesn't mean I'm anti-LLM. I use it daily to look up information and try to learn more about my world and work.

That also doesn't mean you shouldn't use it when you're sharing your thoughts that I might read.

If it's helping editorialize, clean up grammar and spelling, challenge assumptions—that's all fine. But the refinement of ideas, the struggling through concepts, the words to pen—I want to read them from you, imperfect though they may be.

Lately I've been deliberating between 100% self-editing, and throwing the whole post into ChatGPT and specifically requesting that it fix my grammar and spelling. I'm still torn on what makes more sense—partially because I'd rather you read my slightly messy prose and grammar and know that all the words were my own; instead of ChatGPT sneaking in a few words I never intended.

So when you write something, whether on Slack, a blog post, an email; I'd love if you could write it yourself. But I understand if you need help; whether that's English as a second language, struggling with a particularly hard topic, or seeking technical advice. Just, whenever you can, make it your own; your heart, your words, your imperfections. That's what I want to see, and what will draw all us humans together a little more in an age of so much divisiveness.

If you want to write more often, but haven't; I encourage you to put some kind of commitment to yourself; even if it's 250 words per day, 5 days a week. Something, something small. Even if you don't share it, even if it's you writing ”I gotta write something” a hundred times (yes I've done that on some of my more tired days).

And one final note. This is a personal joy, I like to try and find as many different ways to say an idea as possible; avoiding any repetition of the same exact same words in a given paragraph.