How we read, and how we write

Thirteen selected works, chapters, and speeches, rather than thirteen complete books. AnySearch supplied discovery and text extraction; the Cangjie method organized sources and writing cards. Sources and writing boundaries are retained in these notes.

Five practices carried into these essays

1. Show a recognizable situation before a claim; details must help understanding.
2. Let choices affect relationships; people are not props for a conclusion.
3. Separate income, approval, enjoyment, and responsibility rather than demanding pure motives.
4. Distinguish facts, authors’ views, and imagined examples before drafting. Preserve unknowns.
5. Give suggestions conditions, possible actions, and limits rather than universal promises.

No imitation of a living author’s distinctive voice and no adoption of an author’s story as our experience. Historical assumptions and personal opinions remain open to criticism. The Marcus Aurelius extraction ends early; missing material was not treated as read.

Selected reading