Words for the work

A shared language. A clearer next step.

Editorial explanations of the terms used on this site, with everyday examples you can work with.

Proof

In this site's framework, the visible relationship between what you say matters and what you repeatedly do.

In practice: A completed writing session is more concrete than a promise to write someday.

Name the experience, belief, or contribution you are working from.

In practice: Write down the lesson you can explain through an experience you actually lived.

Express what you know in a form another person can understand or use.

In practice: Turn an abstract lesson into a specific scene and explain what changed.

Take responsibility for the decisions, limits, and next steps within your control.

In practice: Name the claim you still need to verify before sharing a draft.

Make the values you describe part of your recurring practice.

In practice: Keep a modest writing appointment, review it, and adjust it for the next week.

A clear statement of what a reader should understand or be able to try after reading your work.

In practice: By the end of this chapter, a first-time founder can describe one lesson from a setback.

The notes, experiences, interviews, records, and observations you draw on when writing.

In practice: A dated note about a customer conversation can be a starting point, with permission and context checked before publication.

A version that helps you discover and revise an idea before you treat it as finished.

In practice: Mark an uncertain detail for research and keep drafting the part you can support.