How to Write Better

Deep Writing with Cal Newport

12 snips
Mar 26, 2026
Cal Newport, a computer science professor and bestselling author known for books on productivity and focus, shares his approach to tight drafting and iterative self-editing. He talks about killing darlings to preserve narrative momentum. He explains when article ideas become books and how AI can help research but should not write for you.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
ADVICE

Kill Your Darlings For Reader Flow

  • Kill precious lines that hurt narrative momentum even if they're beautiful.
  • Prioritize reader flow and be willing to cut thousands of words to preserve cohesion and momentum.
INSIGHT

Readers Build Mental Maps Of Arguments

  • Readers build an internal map of an argument using brain regions for navigation, so inconsistencies create subconscious unease.
  • Cal obsessively enforces idea consistency so no paragraph creates 'grit' in the reader's mind.
ANECDOTE

Saved Cut Material Lives In Scrivener

  • Cal saves cut book material in Scrivener folders for each chapter to reuse citations or resurrect passages.
  • For shorter articles he usually discards cuts and recreates content if needed later.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app