The Science of Writing

Today, we are going behind the scenes with a master of his craft, Morgan Housel. In the investing world that Matt and I are from, there are few – if any – who make better content than Morgan. His blog has been a personal favourite for years and his first book, The Psychology of Money, just crossed 3 million sales. So we reached out to see if he’d take us behind the scenes. Where does he write, when does he write, how much is art, how much science.

To get into those details, we took a blog Morgan wrote in late 2017 called The Freakishly Strong Base and used that as a case study to explore his craft. It’s one of my favourite pieces he’s written and focuses on compounding in nature, business, and investing. At this point you might like to hit pause and read, or re-read, The Freakishly Strong Base on the Collab fund website. Then come back here to learn how Morgan writes magic like this.

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.

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Show Notes

(00:03:30) - (First question) - His writing process during The Freakishly Strong Base

(00:10:09) - The strategy he uses of intertwining unrelated stories with finance

(00:15:58) - The philosophy of "good enough" writing and the need to let go of a piece

(00:18:28) - Why he typically begins his articles with an enticing title prior to forming the content

(00:21:06) - How he blends storytelling with investing topics to engage readers

(00:25:05) - The balance between making a concise point and reinforcing it through examples

(00:27:06) - Why he opts for shorter pieces, exemplified by his book The Psychology of Money and its concise chapters

(00:28:05) - How he combines mental organization and note-taking tools for idea management

(00:31:34) - Why taking control of the writing and design process is critical for maintaining creative autonomy

(00:35:34) - Embracing feedback, downplaying viewership numbers, and the role of luck

(00:38:23) - The power of compounding and the slow nature of positive change

(00:40:04) - The process of writing his second book - Same as Ever: A Guide to What Never Changes 

(00:41:06) - Who he finds inspiration from in his career

(00:46:20) - Why personal taste and resonance define good writing

(00:49:12) - How writing can evoke a range of emotions

(00:51:40) - Why serving on Markel's board has been a fascinating and enjoyable experience

(00:53:16) - Debrief