Public writing, while empowering, is not without its pitfalls. It's a realm where scrutiny is inevitable and criticism, a constant companion. Let's delve into the challenges that public writers face and how they navigate this complex landscape.

William Hazlitt in “On Living to One’s-Self”

“It is better to be a silent spectator of the mighty scene of things than an object of attention or curiosity. It is better, he maintained, to be ‘a silent spectator’ than ‘an object of curiosity or attention.’ “

The virtues of self-restraint and humility possess an attractiveness all their own

Their beauty can appear in our character as well as in the written word.

Writing as Performative Performance

Writing for a public audience is fulfilling in the near term since millions of people have access to what is written for general consumption.

Writing Humorously

To undertake careful investigation – to make an inquiry into a particular, bounded aspect of a larger field – is to make a contribution akin to doing the small but vital tasks that go into the furnishing and maintenance of a large house or institution.

The Invisible Writer

No “self” stands in the way of argument; the author is invisible.

We think we must compulsively manage our images and brands so that everything we produce has its greatest impact and receives its widest recognition.

In truth, almost all of this is outside our control

For Christians in particular, ambition ought to be “commensurate with invisibility in our work.”

Matthew Lee Anderson favors this approach

The Virtues of Scholarship

If writing is meant as a form of communication, but scholarship is meant for an audience so narrow that it may never be read at all, why should it endure as a genre?

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