Something interesting happened recently. Unexpected, but very welcomed.
In writing every day, I noticed a change in my writing voice. An evolution. It feels more natural, conversational, and colorful compared to earlier entries. In fact, this is literally what I had jotted down to myself on September 24, 2025.
The last time I noticed a shift like this was when I wrote The Cringe on May 10th. That was over 140 posts ago! (Can you believe it?).
I remember how it felt then. Leading up to that moment, I kept trying to write like others I admired. To mimic that one person’s long, exaggerated run-on sentences. To drop sudden “mission statement” declarations like another. Piece by piece, I found my own rhythm. My own sparkle and flare. And eventually, I stopped trying to sound like anyone else at all. I could just… be.
"I feel like this is when I found my voice..."
Stages
Bruce Lee (yes, Bruce again, always with the Bruce, Q…) described this as the 3 stages of learning. He explained it through an example of punching:
- A punch is just a punch.
- A punch is no longer a punch.
- A punch is just a punch.
Stage 1: In the beginning, you don’t know how to do the thing, so you just do it. No overthinking. Just doing.
Stage 2: Then you learn. Break it into steps. One and two and three… and suddenly the steps become all you see. Not the thing itself. Obsessively overthinking.
Stage 3: Eventually the steps fade. Instinct takes over. And once again, you can just do the thing. Without thinking.
Practice
Stage 3. That’s how I felt on September 24th, 2025. Like I’d finally graduated from that awkward, honestly pretty awful middle stage — the one where the suffering is real and the snacks are, at best, sub-par.
"Writing voice is changing..."
Not that I’m a masterful writer. Goodness, no.
But if we napkin-math it, I’ve spent around 170 hours on these morning posts alone. 170 hours of focused, personal thinking and writing. Not counting the countless hours I spent scribbling notes before I decided to start publishing.
Far from the mythical 10,000 hours. But definitely more than just a couple.
And in that time, I’ve put in the reps. Showing up. Sitting down. Doing it. Again and again.
Where reps outweigh talent. Where mimicry is scaffolding.
When the punch becomes a punch again. When writing is just… writing.
Sound
So what does this “Stage 3” voice of mine sound like? (+10 to dexterity, unlocked writing perk.)
Casual. Conversational. A little colorful and typically technical jargon-free.
Big lessons inside little stories. Analogies from games, food, and everyday oddball observations.
Every now and then, a long run-on sentence stuffed with a few too many (probably) unnecessary details — details I fight the ChatGPT AI overlords to keep in. (Just like this one! Ugh.)
Followed by clean breaks. Short. Punchy.
If you look closely, you’ll still find traces of the voices I’ve borrowed: Carlin. Sachs. Savage. Burr. And many others. Not the voices you’d expect from someone with “Engineer” in their title within the software space.
170+ hours, packaged inside daily posts, each one just a slice of my mess. With no delusion that my words will change the world.
Just some guy. Just saying hi.
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P.S. If you’re curious about how I got here — or you’re looking to find your own voice — my posts are all there. 170+ and counting. Hopefully that helps in some way!