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How to Use Thinking Like a Writer (And Develop Far More Clarity in Life)

Why surface-level thinking holds us back — and how writing can help

David Loewen
Publishous
7 min readJan 15, 2025

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an illustration with two continuums on it. One says ‘certainty’ on one side and ‘curiosity’ on the other. An intersecting continuum in blue says ‘surface’ above certainty and, on the other side, ‘depth’ below ‘curiosity’. At the top the image says, “think like a writer”
Author’s image

We all get stuck at surface-level explanations (and reactions). Our brains are wired for it.

For example:

  • A colleague misses a deadline, and we assume they’re lazy.
  • A friend cancels plans, and we think they’re avoiding us.
  • A decision feels difficult, so we avoid it and call it a failure.

It’s human nature. Simplifying things — like people or situations — often makes life easier to process. But it also distances us from reality, leading to misunderstandings and misinterpretations.

This tendency isn’t just random — it’s rooted in our brain’s evolutionary history. One result is we judge ourselves by our thoughts and intentions, but we judge others by their actions.

This gap creates contradictions in our behaviours, thinking, decisions, and choices. For example, in the situations in the bullet point above:

  • 👉 We excuse ourselves but criticize others.
  • 👉 We oversimplify what we don’t fully understand.
  • 👉 We interpret complexity in relationships as conflict.

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David Loewen
David Loewen

Written by David Loewen

Crafting Words Driving Change | Educator | Ghostwriter | Founder Box Cutter Co. | Cofounder Humanity Academy | https://www.davidloewen.org

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