We’re always told to “write what you know”, but you often don’t know what you know until you write about it.

Adam Phillips: “Anybody who writes knows you don’t simply write what you believe. You write to find out what you believe, or what you can afford to believe.”

James Baldwin took this idea one step further: “When you’re writing, you’re trying to find out something which you don’t know. The whole language of writing for me is finding out what you don’t want to know; what you don’t want to find out.”

The best thing about writing is that it’s a process of discovery. You can make connections where none exist, clarify half-shaped ideas, and find gold under dirt. Fundamentally, it’s a selfish, yet beautiful activity.