The Hidden Structure Behind Great Essays
3 rules for writing a thought-provoking personal essay
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"Robin's approach has fundamentally changed my relationship with books—shifting the focus from simply 'collecting' knowledge toward a true transformation through texts."
-Richard Shortland-Neal from Underhill Letters
"I was learning new insights to old ideas and fresh opinions that I might not have considered. I’ve even rediscovered my love of reading all thanks to you. I’m 68 and I’m glad that I can still learn. Thank you."
-Gloria
"You're a deep thinker who encourages me to think deeply. I think that so often we go through life without reflecting on the thread that goes between us and the world; you help me see those little weavings."
-Allison
"I love that you take the humanities seriously and want to use them to help fix what's wrong with the early 21st Century"
-Michael
"Reading your work and musings is like a breath of fresh air for me! I got a chance to study the humanities for a semester and it was the most memorable time for me in uni.
-Aumi
"I am in my twenties now, and switching to Literary Studies. Finally following my dreams. I will take your writings with me on my journey. Thank you."
-Denzel
"I am a lifelong learner, and I want to make a living from my writing, speaking, podcasting and my art. I really love your filming and writing style as well as the way you curate your work. God bless and go well."
-Richard
"I'm a soon-to-be junior in high school. When I first discovered philosophy, academia, and literature, I felt awfully alone. Isolated, even. My first encounter with your channel was my curiosity about dark academia and what the hype was about. Needless to say, I feel deeply intimate with your writing, and your thoughts."
-Timothy
"I'm a 19-year-old that have been watching your channel casually for a few years now, but I guess lately I've been finding myself at a turning point to be more intentional with my life and my time, and your work is really informative to that."
-Anna
"I used to carve through your videos some years ago. I cannot express enough how your ideas and aesthetic have guided my philosophical and literary journeys. I can say, with total confidence, that you are the reason I have endeavoured, and in some senses prospered, at becoming a well-read creative intellectual."
-Ibra
"You continually inspire and motivate me to continue learning as a lifelong passion. You remind me why books matter and reading saves lives. Thank you "
-Victoria
Your Starter Pack
Session 6: The Principles of Captivating Writing
The foundations of writing that you've never learned in school
Deep Reading Pt. 1: The Reading System Nobody Taught You At School
A series on the most effective reading framework of the last 100 years
How To Write a Paragraph That Doesn't Suck
Happy Saturday! Today, we'll revisit one of my favourite posts from 2024 that turned out to be a
Plain English Pt. 1: How To Write A Clean Sentence
A grammar guide for people who hate grammar.
Latest Letters
May 11
Deep Reading Pt. 4: Train Your Reader's Gaze In 7 Days
Most readers finish books. This is how you master them.
9 min read
May 09
Lifelong Learning (and why the journey never ends)
What to expect as you head down the path
2 min read
May 04
Deep Reading Pt. 3: How To Know If A Book Is Worth Your Time
Adler's two-step inspectional reading system.
6 min read
May 02
Difficult Writing Is Easy To Read (Once You Know This)
How to find the simple idea hiding inside complicated writing
4 min read
Apr 27
Deep Reading Pt. 2: Why Schools Failed To Teach Literacy
The four stages of elementary reading that your school skipped, and how to practice them
6 min read
Apr 25
The Nuclear Option For A Distracted Mind
Or, the story of a plastic square on my fridge
3 min read
Apr 20
Deep Reading Pt. 1: The Reading System Nobody Taught You At School
A series on the most effective reading framework of the last 100 years
6 min read
Apr 18
Literature is the creation of human emotions
The hidden purpose of reading people miss
3 min read
Apr 13
Plain English Pt. 3: The Secret Behind Every Sentence You've Never Forgotten
5 rhetorical devices that turn ordinary writing into quotable lines
6 min read
Apr 12
Session 5: Design A Week For Lifelong Learning
Protocols for balancing multiple interests with your busy schedule
1 min read
Apr 04
A 300-Year-Old Journaling Method That Still Works
Why your journaling habit feels stale, and how an 18th-century biographer can fix it
3 min read
Mar 30
Plain English Pt. 2: The Secret to Finding Your Writing Style
8 principles that'll make your writing impossible to ignore
7 min read