Paul Graham is one of the most successful writers and entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley.
Sure, he sold a company to Yahoo and co-founded Y Combinator, which has created hundreds of billions of dollars in value. But more than that, Paul is a renowned essayist and his thoughts on what makes good writing are worth paying attention to.
So, how has writing led to Paul Graham's success? I've deconstructed 11 of his best lessons and we're going to go through them one by one. Ultimately, you’ll learn the writing secrets behind this mega-successful investor, how he engages and delights his audience, and how you can, too.
Also, if you listen until the end, I have an unreleased goodie in here about what Sam Altman learned from Paul Graham. And I'm not going to share that anywhere else.

LINKS FOR PAUL GRAHAM: 
Website: https://www.paulgraham.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/paulg
Book: https://www.paulgraham.com/books.html

WRITE OF PASSAGE: 
Want to learn more about the next class Write of Passage?
Click here: https://writeofpassage.com/

PODCAST LINKS: 
Website: https://writeofpassage.com/how-i-write
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel/videos
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv
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10 Lessons from the Best Writer in Tech | Paul Graham | How I Write Podcast

How I Write is about helping you find what works best for your own writing. You can read what an author writes anywhere, but only on this show will you hear how they write. This show isn’t just about methods and styles, though. It’s also about what it means to be a writer today. How can you earn a living? What about building an audience? Should you use GPT? How I Write is your compass for navigating these changes. It’s a show by writers, for writers, built for the age of the Internet.
New episodes of the How I Write show go live every week on Apple, Spotify and YouTube.com/DavidPerellChannel.

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From frustrated middle school teacher to Chief Evangelist at Synthesis School. From 46 email subscribers to 165,000. From hating writing to publishing her first book with a major publishing house: The Learning Game. 
What made all of this possible for Ana Fabrega? 
She unlearned how to write. 
In this episode, Ana shares the seven writing principles you should unlearn if you want to fall in love with writing again and reach people with your ideas. Like Ana, your best ideas could have the power to impact hundreds, if not thousands, of people. You just need to share them in a way that resonates. 
If you’re ready to start making an impact with your ideas, then come learn writing for the modern age. 

SPEAKER LINKS: 
Website: https://afabrega.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/anafabrega11
Book: https://a.co/d/afR9lkc
Newsletter: https://afabrega.com/newsletter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/msfab_learninglab/

WRITE OF PASSAGE: 
Want to learn more about the next class Write of Passage?
Click here: https://writeofpassage.com/

PODCAST LINKS: 
Website: https://writeofpassage.com/how-i-write
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel/videos
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv
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What’s Wrong with Writing Education? | Ana Lorena Fabrega | How I Write Podcast

This is business writing like you’ve never seen it before. 

Sam Corcos is the founder of a $300 million company called Levels. He’s built a culture of intellectual rigor by hiring excellent writers and giving them time to think on paper. But don’t get it twisted — a successful “writing-first work culture” is far more than grammatically correct Slack messages and the occasional memo. 

“95% of people would not be happy working in the culture that we’ve built. And the 5% who would be have been looking for this their entire lives.” – Sam

In this episode, we go deep (and I mean, deep) into what makes business writing work. Sam reveals how to use writing to:

Create strategic memos

Solve specific problems

Make better decisions

And work twice as fast. 


If you’re interested in learning how to use writing to scale businesses, this one’s for you. 

SPEAKER LINKS: 
Website: http://corcos.io/
Company: https://www.levelshealth.com/
X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/samcorcos
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samcorcos

WRITE OF PASSAGE: 
Want to learn more about the next class Write of Passage?
Click here: https://writeofpassage.com/

PODCAST LINKS: 
Website: https://writeofpassage.com/how-i-write
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel/videos
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sam Corcos: How Writing Helped This CEO Build a $300m+ Company

“I’m not writing for you.” 
This was Paul’s response to a scathing critique that came early in his writing career. Since then, Paul’s book, The Pathless Path, has sold over 50,000 copies and has spurred thousands of writers to forge their own path forward — scathing critiques and all. 
Writing isn’t about building the biggest readership possible. It’s about connecting with the readers who care. It’s about broadcasting a signal for the kinds of people you want to attract. And in this episode, you’ll learn how to find these people. 
Paul shares his story from corporate cog to free-spirited wanderer, from blogger to author, from intellectual loner to leader of a thousands-strong community. Flow. Space. Surprise. The joy of finding out. These are just a few phrases Paul uses to describe how he writes. 
So, what about you? Who are you writing for? If you’re ready to write with a heart on fire and find the people who care, this episode is for you. 

SPEAKER LINKS:
Website: https://pmillerd.com
Twitter:  https://x.com/p_millerd
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pathlesspaul
Substack: https://substack.com/@paulmillerd
Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulmillerd/
Book: https://amzn.to/4aBxEUZ 

WRITE OF PASSAGE: 
Want to learn more about the next class Write of Passage?
https://writeofpassage.com

PODCAST LINKS: 
Website: https://writeofpassage.com/how-i-write
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel/videos
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paul Millerd: Why Writing Is The Path For Self Discovery

There is an intrinsic interestingness inside of you. But, you’re probably suppressing it. Welcome to 96-minutes of learning how to use your interestingness to stand out online. 
Speaking of standing out, Steph Smith:

Hosts a16z, a top five technology podcast

Taught herself to code and launched multiple websites that hit #1 on Product Hunt

Sold over $220k in her book launch for Doing Content Right


Grew The Hustle’s Trends product to millions

And led HubSpot’s Creator Program.


(Safe to say that she knows what she’s talking about.) And now, Steph reveals everything she’s learned about creating unforgettable work on the Internet. 
Millions of people mirror what you do — your job, hobbies, routines — but how you do it is another story. Come learn how to follow your compass of interestingness and stand out online. 

SPEAKER LINKS: 
Website: https://stephsmith.io/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephsmithio
Blog: https://blog.stephsmith.io/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniesmith93

WRITE OF PASSAGE: 
Want to learn more about the next class Write of Passage?
Click here: https://writeofpassage.com

PODCAST LINKS: 
Website: https://writeofpassage.school/how-i-write/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel/videos
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steph Smith: How to Make Your Writing Stand Out

Writing is thinking, which means it’s like lighter fluid for business growth. 
Brie has played major roles at writing-rich companies like Stripe, and her expertise on writing-first culture is now used by giants like Amazon and Basecamp. 
As she says: “Reality has a surprising amount of detail.” Writing illuminates all the interesting details worth pursuing. And as a result, companies who prioritize writing operate with impressive speed, intention, and rigor. 
In this episode, Brie shares years of hard-won wisdom to expose how great writing sets companies apart. She explores the balance of writing vs. taking action; she breaks down the editing process better than a modern-day Maxwell Perkins; and she sheds light on the secret to great writing: your zone of obsession. 
If you want to learn how to do the best writing of your life, and grow your company while you’re at it, this episode is for you. 

SPEAKER LINKS: 
Website: https://www.briewolfson.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/zebriez
Stripe Press: https://press.stripe.com/

WRITE OF PASSAGE: 
Want to learn more about the next class Write of Passage?
Click here: https://writeofpassage.com/

PODCAST LINKS: 
Website: https://writeofpassage.com/how-i-write
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel/videos
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

10 Lessons from the Best Writer in Tech | Paul Graham | How I Write Podcast

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