I agree with the anxiety being a useful signal. I frequently have trouble writing something and realize it’s because I don’t have a clear thesis, or I’m trying to argue something I don’t have good evidence for, or there’s some other problem with the post. I could probably get an LLM to write something but it would be hard for it to write something good from a muddled idea.
(This can go too far, and forcing functions like Inkhaven are helpful, but presumably the goal is to get enough practice that you get better at coherent writing, not to just ignore your instincts and publish slop)
It is a useful signal from inside—if you feel more anxious writing about X than about Y, it is a signal you probably know about X less—but it is not useful across people. Some people are okay generating arbitrary amounts of text, other people get anxious whenever they imagine having an audience.
I agree with the anxiety being a useful signal. I frequently have trouble writing something and realize it’s because I don’t have a clear thesis, or I’m trying to argue something I don’t have good evidence for, or there’s some other problem with the post. I could probably get an LLM to write something but it would be hard for it to write something good from a muddled idea.
(This can go too far, and forcing functions like Inkhaven are helpful, but presumably the goal is to get enough practice that you get better at coherent writing, not to just ignore your instincts and publish slop)
It is a useful signal from inside—if you feel more anxious writing about X than about Y, it is a signal you probably know about X less—but it is not useful across people. Some people are okay generating arbitrary amounts of text, other people get anxious whenever they imagine having an audience.