<small>October 18, 2026 – Toronto</small> I write a lot. And basically all of it is **writing to think**. I do this through unstructured [[free writing]] and I have been doing this for many years. When I say *unstructured [[free writing]]* what I mean is I am writing in an open-ended way, journaling my thoughts. Sometimes I am writing about what's on my mind, other times I could be writing through a particular question like, "what should I be focusing on right now?" or "what is the correct structure of this film and why?" Whatever the reason, the method is the same. I type whatever thoughts appear, with no intention of reaching a finished piece. All of it is writing to think. I never re-read any of this writing. This practice has been a useful way for me to generate ideas and stay in the habit of writing every day. It's easy to do. It gives me clarity, helps me think through and make better decisions on my projects, and it lowers my overall stress. But the problem is that this method is not leading to a lot of finished writing projects. I mean, why would it? If almost all my time is spent writing to think, then almost none of it is spent **writing to serve.** It's subtle, but when a book, film, or song really inspires me, it becomes a vivid world that my mind moves into. It can be difficult to remember that someone created this world *for me.* It can feel so authentic and real that I forget that someone had to comb over every element, over and over again, to create something that was not just for themselves, but something that viscerally made sense to others. And that's why I get pulled in at all. This is the difference between writing to think and writing to serve. For me, writing to serve means the writing is designed for participants beyond myself, and it requires an underlying coherence that they can stand on top of and pull meaning from. So I wonder, if I spent more time writing to serve, what would the effects be? <small class="related">Related:</small> [[Writing as My Primary Tool]], [[My Writing Process]], [[Editorial Thinking]]