Write of Passage Weekly

Hello writers,

Welcome back to Write of Passage Weekly.

Last week, we talked about how to become a master craftsman like Balenciaga. Today, you’ll learn how writing online is the path to owning your time.

Audience Growth Workshop

Join us next Wednesday, September 6, and learn how to build your online audience with tips from The Cultural Tutor and David Perell. 

The Cultural Tutor’s rise to Twitter stardom is stunning — from zero to 1.5 million followers in just over a year. So, what’s his secret? How’d he go from crickets to replies from Elon? 

In this workshop, you’ll learn how to grow your audience through Unique Expression. Expect actionable advice you can use right away (and plenty about art and architecture). If you’re interested, register now.

Own Your Time

If you have running water, electricity, healthcare, education, fresh grocery, shelter, social benefits, air travel, oat milk lattes, bottomless brunches, and a reasonably good chance of living to 75, you are living better than the kings and queens of Europe did just one hundred years ago.

On the other hand, a Nobel Prize-winning study on the link between money and happiness showed that, after an annual income of $75,000, more money doesn’t make you significantly happier.

Materially, we are richer than ever; we live in an age of abundance. But in another way, we are poorer than ever; we have very little leisure time. We are money-rich and time-poor.

Most of us spend most of our waking hours trying to maximize our salaries with little regard for how much of our leisure time is being eaten up by work. Perhaps the reason why the money you make over $75,000 doesn’t make you happier is because you simply don’t have the time to spend it. 

And if that’s the case, then how futile is it all? To wake up, go to work, and rest — just so you can do it all over again tomorrow?

We are materially richer than any past generation, but that doesn’t mean we are wealthier than ever. To be wealthy means to be rich in both money and time. And without the time to spend it, money has no hope of buying you happiness. But some people find a way to own their time. They do it by writing online. 

Harnessing the power of the Internet can unshackle you from a job that serves you no higher purpose. It can free you from the outdated institutions that fail to prepare you for your colorful ambitions about the future. If you have a sneaking suspicion that you were made for more than a cookie-cutter lifestyle, writing online is a portal to the life you’ve been waiting for. 

Write of Passage alum Packy McCormick said that his newsletter, Not Boring, is his “greatest competitive advantage.” Not Boring now has over 200,000 subscribers, and from this platform, Packy launched a $4 million venture capital fund. And he had zero subscribers four years ago! As Packy recently told his audience, starting to write online in Write of Passage “fundamentally changed the trajectory of [his] life and career.”

When you have an audience, you don’t need to sacrifice your autonomy to another company. If you learn how to use the Internet, you can live life on your own terms.

How I Write Podcast

Derek Thompson: From Acting to the Eminem of Macroeconomic Analysis

David just released a new interview with his favorite journalist, Derek Thompson. 

Derek weaves together ideas from all over the place — economics, public policy, sports, and even pop culture. His writing is a breath of fresh air in a world of cookie-cutter Internet content. Where other click-hungry journalists have caved to antagonistic practices, Derek’s writing is cool and charitable. And it’s also poetic. With a background in theater, he draws inspiration from the likes of literature and playwrights. This conversation will appeal to anybody who wants to write more elegantly, deal with critics, and master the art of the non-fiction story.

Listen Now: YouTube | Spotify | Apple

From Our Alumni

“Confronting Failure as a Core Life Skill”

Ben Hsu reflects on his missteps as an entrepreneur and advocates for candidly discussing our failures.

Happy writing,

The Write of Passage Team