In honor of my dropping by Inkhaven at Lighthaven in Berkeley this week, I figured it was time for another writing roundup. You can find #1 here, from March 2025.

I’ll be there from the 17th (the day I am publishing this) until the morning of Saturday the 22nd. I am happy to meet people, including for things not directly about writing.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents.
How I Use AI For Writing These Days.
Influencing Influence.
Size Matters.
Time To Write A Shorter One.
A Useful Tool.
A Maligned Tool.
Neglected Topics.
The Humanities Don’t Seem Relevant To Writing About Future Humanity?
Writing Every Day.
Writing As Deep Work.
Most Of Your Audience Is Secondhand.
That's Funny.
Fiction Writing Advice.
Just Say The Thing.
Cracking the Paywall.

How I Use AI For Writing These Days

How have I been using AI in my writing?

Directly? With the writing itself? Remarkably little. Almost none.

I am aware that this is not optimal. But at current capability levels, with the prompts and tools I know [...]

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Outline:

(00:33) How I Use AI For Writing These Days

(03:44) Influencing Influence

(05:34) Size Matters

(06:23) Time To Write A Shorter One

(07:51) A Useful Tool

(08:08) A Maligned Tool

(10:04) Neglected Topics

(12:31) The Humanities Don't Seem Relevant To Writing About Future Humanity?

(13:50) Writing Every Day

(14:20) Writing As Deep Work

(15:25) Most Of Your Audience Is Secondhand

(17:57) That's Funny

(18:38) Fiction Writing Advice

(19:13) Just Say The Thing

(23:13) Cracking the Paywall

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First published:
November 18th, 2025

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/YHSaG72C2TftKhHeA/on-writing-2

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

“On Writing #2” by Zvi

LessWrong (30+ Karma)