Want to know how mathematicians, philosophers, and Nobel prize-winning physicists agree on mastering writing through an unexpected approach?

Hint: It's simple. THREAD!

1/The titles within my stack of books have been all over the place genre-wise lately: Philosophy, physics, jazz, mathematics.

And while these topics are great mental exercise, I also search out what the author has to say about writing and communication.

2/After all: What good is a brilliant idea if you can’t share it with others?

That's done through a medium of communication in the form of the written word.

So maybe you’ll be as surprised as I was when I discovered a common theme.

3/Take a look:

4/Interesting, right?

These deep thinkers—who work with complex ideas and theorems the average person can’t understand—are proponents of simple, concise writing and communication.

5/I dug a little deeper. Along the way, I discovered this technique (shared by Nobel prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman) that lays out the step-by-step mechanics of how to communicate simply and clearly for maximum comprehension.

6/I recognized this process as the same one used by the best editors I know. They didn’t just check for spelling/grammar...they poked holes in it.

They asked, “Okay, but why?”
They left notes like: “Explain what this is and how it works. Don’t assume the reader already knows.”

7/The secret is to approach what you’ve written w/ a sense of genuine curiosity.

Review it with the eyes of an outsider. See what questions arise as you read...and answer them.

In a world where knowledge-flexing, acronym-dropping, and over-complication is the norm: Don’t.