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LEADERSHIP LAB: The Craft of Writing Effectively

UChicago Social Sciences · lecture · Watch on YouTube

Literature & writing craftUniversity lectures & courses

What it is

Larry McEnerney of the University of Chicago Writing Program gives a graduate-student session on writing effectively. His core idea is that readers care about value to them, not the writer's thinking process.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN users repeatedly say it changed how they think about writing, calling it a masterclass useful far beyond academia.

  • 15 people recommended it
  • 14 different months
  • 6 strong recommendations
  • first 2019, last 2026

What HN commenters said

  1. “I recommend this video to everyone.”

    Reader-value framing of writing changed commenter's perspective

    miguelrochefort, 2020-03 · Strong recommendation · in “Not delivering end-user value”

  2. “The resource that has spurred me into thinking differently about effective writing”

    Resource that changed how commenter thinks about effective writing

    will_pseudonym, 2020-11 · Strong recommendation · in “Writing well”

  3. “Great video that will definitely help you rethink your approach”

    Challenges bad writing advice received so far

    verdverm, 2022-04 · Strong recommendation · in “Ask HN: Advice on Writing Papers”

  4. “it's a masterclass in understanding what writing actually is, and what it does for you”

    Masterclass on writing as thinking

    learningerrday, 2024-03 · Strong recommendation · in “To write a great essay, think and care deeply (2015)”

  5. “It is so good that I would have paid to have access to this video!”

    Valuable for anyone improving communication skills

    nazka, 2024-12 · Strong recommendation · in “My PhD advisor rewrote himself in bash (2010)”

  6. “That talk changed the way I write and made writing a primary tool I reach for when I want to learn something new.”

    Talk arguing writing is the process of thinking

    modriano, 2026-03 · Strong recommendation · in “Don't Let AI Write for You”

  7. “you might find this lecture useful”

    Lecture useful for improving writing

    lugg, 2019-01 · Recommendation · in “The TypeScript Tax”

  8. “Recommended”

    Advice on writing for readers' value

    7373737373, 2019-07 · Recommendation · in “The Good Employee, a story about how you can explain companies with graph theory”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: writing, larry mcenerney, academic writing, communication, readers

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