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Quote wall: Steven Johnson

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On the bulletin board above my desk, I keep a handful of quotes that have taught me something, or that I hope to learn from.

Here's one:

In my experience, the more subtle threat ... comes via the eminently reasonable belief that you’re not ready to start writing, because you haven’t finished your research yet.

—Steven Johnson, "Research as You Go"

I do this constantly. Every draft is filled with placeholders, little pitons screwed into sentences, announcing that something will go here, but I'm damned if I know just what it is yet.

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