Alex Epstein on How to Excel as a Writer

How did Alex Epstein achieve his success? In large part by learning to write objectively.

Alex Epstein is one of today’s most effective Objectivist intellectuals. His ideas are clear, fact-based, and well-integrated. His communication skills are second to none.

How did he achieve such mastery? In large part by learning to write objectively—that is, in plain, simple language, with relevant facts and concrete examples to support his claims.

Writing is the most organized form of thinking. Clear, concretized, essentialized writing is the measure of—and the means to—an organized, highly effective mind.

Would you like to improve your writing?

Here is Alex’s advice:

Whenever a young writer asks me how to improve, one of my top recommendations is “Find a good editor to give you feedback”—followed by “This is very hard to do, because most really good editors won’t be available to you.”

Fortunately, if you are a promising writer and want to get a lot better, you have a great option in trying to write for The Objective Standard, edited by my friend Craig Biddle.

Craig helped me a lot with my writing early in my career when I needed it the most.

He would kindly but firmly point out when my arguments were half-baked, my sentences were sloppy, or my theme was conflicted.

Like any good editor, he was always a strong advocate for the audience, telling me when my writing was clear and motivating—and when it was not.

Also, just as importantly, Craig was a great source of encouragement to me early in my career. He always supplemented any criticism of my writing with a general enthusiasm about my potential. This is particularly valuable early on, when writing is hard and encouragement is scarce.

I hope that more young writers take advantage of the opportunity to write for The Objective Standard—and that supporters of TOS are aware of the contribution they’re making to a new generation of compelling Objectivist writers.

If you’d like to write for TOS and work with me, contact Thomas Walker-Werth at thomas@theobjectivestandard.com, and he will help get you started.

Also, if you’d like to pursue a career as an intellectual, check out the programs, courses, and conferences at Objective Standard Institute (OSI), where we systematically teach the philosophic ideas, thinking methods, and writing skills we apply at TOS.

If you’d like to discuss the possibility of launching an intellectual career with OSI, contact Angel Werth at angel@objectivestandard.org.

And if you know any young writers or budding intellectuals who might be interested in working with TOS or OSI, please forward this information to them. You might help launch the next Alex Epstein.

—Craig Biddle
Editor in Chief, The Objective Standard
Executive Director, Objective Standard Institute