Appearing on the Brick by Brick Podcast
I write to find out what I think. —Stephen King
I am still committed to the idea that the ability to think for one’s self depends upon one’s mastery of the language. —Joan Didion
Above: A ghostwriter in the flesh.
A few days ago I had the pleasure of virtually sitting down with good friend and prolific investor Rishi Taparia on his wonderful Brick by Brick podcast.
Our conversation spanned a wide variety of topics—from authentic intelligence to artificial intelligence, spreadsheets to storytelling—and Rishi’s thoroughness, intellect, and warmth made for a wonderful experience. Sixty minutes felt like five; we could have gone on for hours.
I leave you with Rishi’s exceptionally kind introduction:
Our conversation spanned a wide variety of topics—from authentic intelligence to artificial intelligence, spreadsheets to storytelling—and Rishi’s thoroughness, intellect, and warmth made for a wonderful experience. Sixty minutes felt like five; we could have gone on for hours.
I leave you with Rishi’s exceptionally kind introduction:
Tom White is one of the people I turn to when I want to vent about the challenges of putting fingers on a keyboard and forming something that loosely resembles good writing.
After stints at Sandhill Markets, On Deck, and Google, Tom now writes, edits, researches, and ghostwrites professionally for a number of startup/F500 executives, VCs, and institutional fund managers. His free weekly newsletter on books, behavior, psychology, and philosophy, called White Noise, is a favorite read of mine. This is why it was so much fun to sit down with Tom and talk about why all founders (and everyone, really) should write.
Incredibly well read with a quote for every situation, Tom firmly believes in the power of writing. As Tom puts it, "It takes one song, one piece of writing, one podcast to change everything for people. That's why everyone should share. One swing of the bat can hit the grand slam that could change your personal or professional life, lead to a good conversation or a partnership or a relationship…it's invigorating."
In this episode, we dive into:How to build the writing muscle
Tom's guide to breaking free from the fear of publishing
The important difference between creating content and distributing content
Why AI is killing creativity
Tom's battle with Tourette Syndrome and how he found his own voice
The importance of reading and how to read in a "Lindy safe" way
Tom's recommended reads
If you are someone who wants to learn how to be a better storyteller, who knows they should be writing more but is waiting for the right time, or who just wants to figure out how to start building the writing muscle, this episode is for you.
I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did: