For those who feel their words aren't their own even when writing with AI. Thoughts on pre-writing thinking, organized by Atsushi Sasaki's 'The Philosophy of Writing'. #PhilosophyOfWriting #AIWriting #Verbalization

Ah, I did it again.

The moment I sat down at my PC intending to write, for some reason, I started worrying about the 'humidity in the room' and began cleaning the humidifier.

Before I knew it, an hour had passed.

What I was planning to write is now on the other side of the fog.

For someone like me with ADHD tendencies, this 'scattering of consciousness' is an everyday occurrence, but what is even more serious is the feeling that 'even when I try to write, the words don't resonate as my own.'

Hello, I am Mental Tsuyoshi.

I organize thoughts and systems for continuing to create content as naturally as breathing.

I work as a professional web writer, and I am also a practitioner who builds 'AI writing production flows' for multiple owned media outlets.

I am a creator currently in the process of constantly bumping into the question, 'What are my own words, anyway?' the more I streamline things with AI.

I have summarized my detailed self-introduction here.

Today, I want to talk about a book that I hope will be picked up by those of us who are trying to make 'writing' a job or a habit, but feel a sense of suffocation somewhere along the way.

Now that AI can provide a 1000-character correct answer in a few seconds, here are some hints to help us regain the 'meaning' of why we bother to write, as naturally as breathing.

'The Philosophy of Writing: Re-learning Language'

This book was less about writing techniques and more about restructuring 'how to use your head before writing'.

We are always searching for techniques on 'how to write'.

Templates, the PREP method, how to create viral headlines.

But no matter how much we learn those, the blockage of 'not knowing what to write' is never resolved.

This is because the problem lies not in the technique of output, but in the 'mindset of thinking' before writing.

What this book presents is not so-called quick-fix how-to advice.

The first part re-examines the mindset for escaping 'writer's block,' and the second part moves on to the practice of 'getting to the finish line.'

That structure itself highlights the pattern where we easily get stuck searching for the 'correct answer.'

Writing is, in itself, thinking.

Perhaps we have left this all-too-obvious premise behind somewhere while being chased by production efficiency and the number of 'likes.'

This perspective is essential, especially in the modern era where AI can generate drafts in an instant.

'The text that comes out feels a bit thin.'

'It's not bad, but it doesn't feel like my own words.'

The reason we feel this way and stop writing is not because we lack technical skill.

It is simply that the preliminary stage for 're-accepting' the words spat out by AI as our own thoughts has not been prepared.

This book gives you the feeling of being able to reassemble those scattered pieces of thought with your own hands once again.

The idea of 're-learning Japanese as a foreign language' is also connected to the problem of being able to write with AI but not being able to use it.

The part of this book that struck me the most was the proposal to 're-learn Japanese as a foreign language.'

We assume that we are used to using Japanese.

That is precisely why we treat words carelessly.

The complacency of thinking, 'This word will probably get the point across for now,' lowers the precision of our writing and makes even our own thoughts ambiguous.

This has the exact same structure as the 'unusable text' problem we face with AI writing.

AI outputs a massive amount of Japanese that sounds plausible.

However, the reason we cannot shape it into a form we can use as 'our own words' is that we have become insensitive to language.

Which words do I choose, and at what distance do I describe the subject?

As long as those criteria for judgment remain vague, no matter how much you have AI write for you, it will be nothing more than a string of symbols.

The struggle of 'not knowing what to write' is often caused not by 'having no theme,' but by 'a lack of precision in language.'

The subtle sense of discomfort within yourself, or the 'discrepancy' you felt on the ground.

You must re-select the words to describe them one by one, as if you were learning a foreign language.

Only by taking that trouble can our content truly 'breathe.'

This theme connects directly to the topics I consistently cover on my main account regarding 'writing' and 'content creation that breathes'—in other words, designing not for mass production of information, but for regaining your own rhythm.

It is natural that some find this book difficult to read, yet here is why it is still worth reading.

To be honest, this might not be an 'easy-to-read book' for everyone.

Looking at the reviews, opinions are clearly divided.

While some find salvation in it, saying it 'made them feel they could write freely,' there are certainly complaints that it is 'full of difficult words' or 'hard to read due to excessive parentheses.'

But I think that very 'difficulty' is the kind of burden we need right now.

We have become too accustomed to 'things that are immediately understandable' and 'things that can be templated.'

However, the essence of writing lies in intentionally moving away from such easy understanding and engaging in the process of thinking for yourself, sweating over it.

For those frozen by perfectionism—thinking they 'must write correct sentences' or 'must write well'—the book's slightly circuitous, philosophical approach acts like a massage that loosens those fixed ideas.

When we find it exhausting to publish due to dependence on external evaluation or reactions, we run out of breath trying to force ourselves into a 'correct mold.'

But what this book preaches is a more fundamental 'freedom of writing.'

It doesn't mean 'writing is easy,' but rather gives you permission to 'write freely, including the pain of taking responsibility for your own words.'

For those it resonates with, it hits deep—to the point of changing their lives.

But it doesn't work the same way for everyone.

I feel that this unevenness is exactly what makes this book sincere.

What do we write in a place where the premise of 'efficiency' collapses?

Here, I would like to consider the 'premise' of this book from my own perspective.

The 'philosophy of writing' that this book advocates seems to be built on the premise that one can have a certain amount of time to carefully examine their own thoughts.

However, in environments like ours—where we may have ADHD tendencies, suffer from decision fatigue in our daily work, or are out of breath from juggling multiple roles—that act of 'thinking carefully' often becomes a luxury.

The ideal of 're-learning language' is wonderful.

But if you try to put this philosophy into practice exactly as it is on a night when you are exhausted, isn't there a risk that it will instead become fuel for self-denial, making you think, 'I really am a failure who can't think deeply'?

What we need might not be to adopt this lofty philosophy as is, but rather to find a compromise—how to raise our sensitivity to language by just 1% while taking our own 'tendency to get tired' or 'tendency to be scattered' as a given.

How do you all strike a balance between this 'philosophical depth' and the 'difficulty of daily operation'?

Or perhaps, is it necessary to let language rest by intentionally creating 'time to not think'?

Re-examining your own way of 'regulating your breathing' in that way might also be a form of re-learning.

A book that changes the 'premise of being able to write' rather than making you able to write immediately after reading.

This book does not give you a magic template that will make you write fluently starting tomorrow.

Rather, it is a book that makes you let go of the rulers of 'writing well' and 'writing fast' that you have believed in until now.

It redefines writing not as a mere output task, but as a process of taking responsibility for your own thoughts and restructuring your relationship with language.

By doing so, the curse of 'not being able to write' is gradually lifted as a result.

'Creating content like breathing' does not simply mean mass production.

It means carefully regaining your sensitivity to language and building up only the words you can truly use, at your own rhythm.

Those who change into 'people who can write' may not be those who have added techniques, but those who have changed the very 'premise' of writing itself.

If you don't know what to write today, please try stopping yourself from trying to force it out.

Instead, try doubting for just a moment: the feel of the keyboard in front of you, or whether the words you are about to use are 'truly your own'.

Just by finding that small sense of discomfort interesting, the breathing of your writing will become a little deeper.

• The reason you 'cannot write' is not a lack of technique, but a problem with your mindset toward thinking

• Treating Japanese as a 'foreign language' to overcome insensitivity toward words

• In this age of AI, it is precisely now that we need the effort to reclaim outputted words as 'our own thoughts'

• 'Writing freely' begins with escaping from correct answers and templates

The insights shared by the author, Atsushi Sasaki, remind us of the texture deep within words. If you are interested, please take a look at this as well.

Recommended reading: 3 books to organize your words and thoughts

'The Philosophy of Writing: A Theory of Writing for Those Who Cannot Write'

By Masaya Chiba, Tomoki Yamauchi, Dokushozaru, and Shota Seshimo

A book where four writers unravel the struggle of not being able to write from their respective fields. For those of us who want not just philosophy, but the raw, tangible experience of the writing process.

'The Philosophy of Sense'

By Masaya Chiba

Before focusing on 'skill,' how do we train our 'sense' of expression? A guide for those who don't want to carelessly dismiss their own writing style or the sense of discomfort they occasionally feel.

'The Technique of Writing to Earn'

By Akira Nagae

How to connect 'writing' as a philosophy to 'work' as a reality. A compass for returning to the world of practical business after finishing the book.

You can also quickly browse these books on your smartphone while commuting or between tasks if you have Kindle Unlimited. Try to find a sentence that resonates with your own rhythm.

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