A Hostile Act
Joan Didion famously called writing “a hostile act.” In an interview, she explained: “It's hostile in that you're trying to make somebody see something the way you see it, trying to impose your idea, your picture. It's hostile to try to wrench around someone else's mind that way.”
When I first started publishing regularly (a company newsletter called Workings that lives on under Steyer’s current leadership), I was surprised by the sheer number of internet trolls I attracted. But Didion’s insight helped me understand: what I saw as a simple accountability tool—forcing me to articulate a vision and explain my management decisions—sometimes landed, especially on those who felt displaced in some way, as an affront. One pattern I was able to discern: it was particularly galling to older, male software developers to have a younger, female, non-coder (even worse: an English major) weigh in on the future of tech.
The trick, I learned, was to keep going. Every piece I wrote attracted a gut-punching dose of weirdly personal hate. But over time, especially as Workings subscribers climbed into the thousands, my inbox also filled with wonderful emails. In some cases, these messages (to extend Didion’s framework) were “return fire” for sure, but in the best possible way—composed with a view not to win but to get closer to some ineffable truth and sent with respect, even kindness.
Fast forward to today: my What Now inbox, left to steep for two weeks while I gaped at Alaska*, looks to be filled with exactly these sorts of thoughtful, provocative messages. Thank you! Real exchanges with real people—this, for me, is the whole point of writing. I’ll respond to each of you by end of day Monday. It’s a delight to be back in touch.
*Image credit: Chris Walton (Eldred Rock Lighthouse, Alaska)