I found you through a note that stuck out. Thank you and thank you for speaking on this topic. Taking all day to write my one little post a week, in real time, was starting to feel like I was focused on the wrong things. I forgot that consistency and frequency are not the same.
Great words, Benjamin. I think what you're pinpointing is a sense of clarity in purpose. If showing up daily still results in schlock writing, it's a sign you've lost a sense of purpose because it's no longer clear to you why you're keeping at the wheel when you are spinning your tires and going nowhere. So clarity in purpose is a major key - that's where you find your coherence and develop an outlook that has the architectonic character of a stronger, but also deeper, consistency.
I think this has just given me my next note! Thank you!
Quality over quantity. I hear so many people saying you gotta use AI to keep up output and that has never made sense to me. I wouldn’t want to read AI slop speed fed to my feed. I hope others will come around to understand the very clear point your making here
Great, great post. Keep it coming. I'm with you. Posting consistently can be empty if COHERENCE of message and a SOUND PHILOSOPHY behind the posts has not been articulated adequately. Thank you for your affirmation, Benjamin! harold
me too... :-) It makes two of us... I struggle with the same... yet, building COHERENCE of message is an intellectual endeavor I can only pursue... And I admit that WRITING often helps me to catch the loops, the gaps, of what I am thinking, as well as catch insights from others who provide me with insights but their "fortress" is not mine... :-) Joan Didion stated in 1976, "I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear". I have postulated for years that "HUMBLE WRITERS" hassle with the articulation of their views... ARROGANT ones publish books and posts to "make money" and "ego glorification." That maybe an over simplifiication, but it comes through when someone struggles with ideas... Thank you for your great guide, Benjamin... harold
Since I was lucky enough to break free of the 'post regularly' advice, sacrificing a *spectacular* growth curve in order to focus on writing, I have slowed to a near crawl. I swear this is not my fault. It seems to be related to putting the right words in the right order. Who would have thought that would be so difficult?
I stopped my 'weekly posts' a month ago and now take as long as I need to shape not only the words in each piece but a more rigorous arrangement of pieces themselves. The goal is to build the parts for a book so structure and focus are critical. I'm currently on my eighth draft of a 'simple introduction' that I realized was needed when writing my seventh post.
Bejamin, thanks for this confirmation that I'm on the right track.
Love the idea that consistency of tone is so vital. Totally agree. Doesn’t matter if I’m writing something more serious or just fun, whether it’s about music or otherwise.
Consistency of tone is how you string sentences together. That adds up to quality output. And you do enough of it, you have a series that’s consistent from piece to piece.
"The question shifts from what should I write next to where does this fit within what I am already building."
This stopped me. I started writing on Substack three weeks ago and the first decision I made was to design the architecture before writing a single word: a 30-chapter series with a sequential thesis, each article building on the last. Not because I knew it was the right approach, but because I couldn't write without knowing where each piece belonged.
Reading this, I understand why that instinct was correct. Coherence isn't something you layer on top of frequency. It has to be structural from the start. The centre has to exist before the work can orbit it.
What you're describing isn't a productivity framework. It's a theory of meaning in writing.
The "sounds like X before you check the byline" test is a sharp one. One thing worth adding: readers don't need to agree with you to recognize you — they need to predict what you'll find interesting next. Consistency of attention might be the load-bearing layer. You can vary tone a lot and still feel coherent if the reader trusts what you'll care about. Same register every week with shifting attention reads as random.
This isn't tough love, it's just love. So, here goes: Writing is the hard part. Ideas should come easily. It's like building a house. You should have more ideas than you can put into any one design. The grind is in learning all the skills necessary to physically create the house. Same with writing. If you're always having trouble with ideas, maybe you should try something else.
Very helpful insights. Thanks.
I found you through a note that stuck out. Thank you and thank you for speaking on this topic. Taking all day to write my one little post a week, in real time, was starting to feel like I was focused on the wrong things. I forgot that consistency and frequency are not the same.
Hey Michelle thanks for letting me know
Consistency is the word. Thanks.
Great words, Benjamin. I think what you're pinpointing is a sense of clarity in purpose. If showing up daily still results in schlock writing, it's a sign you've lost a sense of purpose because it's no longer clear to you why you're keeping at the wheel when you are spinning your tires and going nowhere. So clarity in purpose is a major key - that's where you find your coherence and develop an outlook that has the architectonic character of a stronger, but also deeper, consistency.
I think this has just given me my next note! Thank you!
Great. Glad to be of service :)
Quality over quantity. I hear so many people saying you gotta use AI to keep up output and that has never made sense to me. I wouldn’t want to read AI slop speed fed to my feed. I hope others will come around to understand the very clear point your making here
Also when everyone can put put 10 articles a day…frequency is no longer a differentiator
Thank you
wow this is amazing advice, great perspective, thank you very much!
Very glad to be of help
Great, great post. Keep it coming. I'm with you. Posting consistently can be empty if COHERENCE of message and a SOUND PHILOSOPHY behind the posts has not been articulated adequately. Thank you for your affirmation, Benjamin! harold
So happy this resonated. It drives me crazy that people only mean output when they talk about consistency
me too... :-) It makes two of us... I struggle with the same... yet, building COHERENCE of message is an intellectual endeavor I can only pursue... And I admit that WRITING often helps me to catch the loops, the gaps, of what I am thinking, as well as catch insights from others who provide me with insights but their "fortress" is not mine... :-) Joan Didion stated in 1976, "I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear". I have postulated for years that "HUMBLE WRITERS" hassle with the articulation of their views... ARROGANT ones publish books and posts to "make money" and "ego glorification." That maybe an over simplifiication, but it comes through when someone struggles with ideas... Thank you for your great guide, Benjamin... harold
Since I was lucky enough to break free of the 'post regularly' advice, sacrificing a *spectacular* growth curve in order to focus on writing, I have slowed to a near crawl. I swear this is not my fault. It seems to be related to putting the right words in the right order. Who would have thought that would be so difficult?
I stopped my 'weekly posts' a month ago and now take as long as I need to shape not only the words in each piece but a more rigorous arrangement of pieces themselves. The goal is to build the parts for a book so structure and focus are critical. I'm currently on my eighth draft of a 'simple introduction' that I realized was needed when writing my seventh post.
Bejamin, thanks for this confirmation that I'm on the right track.
Thanks for putting into words what I have been feeling about my writing.
Love the idea that consistency of tone is so vital. Totally agree. Doesn’t matter if I’m writing something more serious or just fun, whether it’s about music or otherwise.
Consistency of tone is how you string sentences together. That adds up to quality output. And you do enough of it, you have a series that’s consistent from piece to piece.
Exactly
"The question shifts from what should I write next to where does this fit within what I am already building."
This stopped me. I started writing on Substack three weeks ago and the first decision I made was to design the architecture before writing a single word: a 30-chapter series with a sequential thesis, each article building on the last. Not because I knew it was the right approach, but because I couldn't write without knowing where each piece belonged.
Reading this, I understand why that instinct was correct. Coherence isn't something you layer on top of frequency. It has to be structural from the start. The centre has to exist before the work can orbit it.
What you're describing isn't a productivity framework. It's a theory of meaning in writing.
life changing and i love how most people think that by showing up everyday without a foundation is pointless
The "sounds like X before you check the byline" test is a sharp one. One thing worth adding: readers don't need to agree with you to recognize you — they need to predict what you'll find interesting next. Consistency of attention might be the load-bearing layer. You can vary tone a lot and still feel coherent if the reader trusts what you'll care about. Same register every week with shifting attention reads as random.
"the advice on consistency is wrong" and then gives advice on consistency lol okay
This isn't tough love, it's just love. So, here goes: Writing is the hard part. Ideas should come easily. It's like building a house. You should have more ideas than you can put into any one design. The grind is in learning all the skills necessary to physically create the house. Same with writing. If you're always having trouble with ideas, maybe you should try something else.