Books, writing, and the creative spark that AI can't replicate

Books have always been a source of comfort, especially during times when I'm unwell, such as today. Not all books are written the same, though. I love reading and writing. But it wasn't always so.

An armchair journey

For two years straight, my form teacher in primary school exhorted me to "read more" in my report book, making an implicit reference to my dismal grades.

So I did. I read hundreds of books a year during my formative years. This I know because the school had a multi-year initiative that made us write down the name of every book read.

I took my reading habit into adulthood, though my tastes settled into fantasy, action, and science fiction. Not Star Wars or Star Trek, but series like The Expanse by James SA Corey, The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, and The Lost Fleet by Jack Campbell.

Others that made an impact include the Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia, Weapons of Choice by John Birmingham, and The Sun Eater by Christopher Ruocchio, which I just started. There is something about the effect of evocative prose and a brilliant writing style. The really great books linger in your mind even after you put them down.

Learning by doing

I fell into writing by chance, after I had worked for a few years in IT. Despite my voracious reading, I've never considered myself a writer. It was a good thing that my first gigs were to write for various tech-focused websites, back when they still had money to pay freelance writers.

A decade later, a marketing manager asked for some help. Soon, I started working with marketing agencies and marketing leads in MNCs on thought leadership content, product brochures, white papers, and reports. Another decade passed.

The many years spent learning how to write by actually doing it might be one reason why I tend not to focus on writing frameworks. Not because they are no good, but because while one can distill styles and techniques into frameworks, frameworks by themselves cannot deliver the magic of good writing.

Writing is thinking

Yet it was only when I began writing daily on LinkedIn in 2023 and started my newsletter in 2024 that I felt myself able to express myself adequately. Here's what I discovered: writing unpacks the ideas in your mind, clarifies your thoughts, and is ultimately a form of thinking itself.

And that's why I write more than I ever have in my life. Because in the age of AI, the only thing that sets us apart is the creative spark of our minds. Do you journal or write regularly?