Atomic Essays

An “atomic essay” is a short piece of writing that is usually less than 1,000 words that conveys a concise point or idea. I first encountered this idea when I took an online writing course called Ship 30. Here is what I think is really great about them:

• They are incredibly easy to write and digest. The limited word count is a feature not a bug — it is easier for me to write a couple hundred words about a single topic and much easier for others to read.
• I can quickly churn out lots of atomic essays which means I can scratch the itch of being a “productive” writer without getting hung up on productivity.
• They are easy to share. I can export them as a graphic and upload to social media, I can send a quick text to a friend as an attachment or share easily on Slack with coworkers.

Ultimately, atomic essays are similar to atomic habits: small, consistent writing efforts that over time can result in more significant output. In this case, I can write faster and more prolifically and share easily with others. Over time I am hopeful that this habit will result in me becoming a better thinker and communicator.