I finally figured out why this is both a massively popular post and not the typical garbage that passes on Medium these days as self improvement or life-hacks or tech-bro manifestos — all the stuff that cynics, degenerates and subversives (like me) spend our time skewering for comedic effect.

You give hopeful writers (not like me) tools, not meaningless pep talks about how to get more little green hearts, or work hard enough and you, too, can write like Tolstoy, or how to improve one billion percent.

Much respect, Matthew, for writing the first real “only writing guide you’ll ever need.” (Not to be confused with my attempts at parody.)