Bill's Notes

[Industrialblog, June 22, 2004]
The Two Things About Writing
Here is an entry you may have seen on the "two things". Some of them are pretty interesting. Here's the idea behind the two things, and this is quoted from the linked site:


The Story of the Two Things
A few years ago, I was chatting with a stranger in a bar. When I told
him I was an economist, he said, "Ah. So... what are the Two Things about
economics?"

"Huh?" I cleverly replied.

"You know, the Two Things. For every subject, there are really only
two things you really need to know. Everything else is the application
of those two things, or just not important."

"Oh," I said. "Okay, here are the Two Things about economics. One: Incentives
matter. Two: There's no such thing as a free lunch."


He includes a couple of "two things" about writing in his list, but I wanted to add my own.

The Two Things About Writing

1. You set the rules of your writing, but you need be consistent with the rules you set.

2. You don't finish a work, you abandon it. (Stolen from Samuel Beckett, I believe.)

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