The Conversational Writing Filter
Ask every sentence: would I say this to a friend? If not, rewrite it.
The Conversational Writing Filter is Paul Graham's deceptively simple method for dramatically improving written communication: after writing each sentence, ask yourself 'Is this the way I'd say this if I were talking to a friend?' If the answer is no, rewrite it using the words you'd actually say.
Graham identifies a universal phenomenon: something 'comes over most people when they start writing.' They switch from natural, clear spoken language into a different register — more complex sentence structures, fancier vocabulary, more formal tone. The result is writing that's harder to read, more distant, and paradoxically less precise. As Graham puts it: 'the complex sentences and fancy words give you, the writer, the false impression that you're saying more than you actually are.'
The insight that elevates this from a writing tip to a thinking tool is Graham's observation about expertise: 'the harder the subject, the more informally experts speak.' This is partly because true experts have nothing to prove, and partly because complex ideas require simple language — you can't afford to let language get in the way when the concepts themselves are demanding. Graham calls informal language 'the athletic clothing of ideas.' Writing in spoken language doesn't dumb things down; it strips away the friction that prevents ideas from reaching their audience.
- Written language is more complex than spoken language, which makes it harder to read and gives the writer a false sense of saying more.
- You don't need complex sentences to express complex ideas — experts speak informally precisely because the ideas are hard enough without linguistic friction.
- Informal language is the athletic clothing of ideas.
- If you simply manage to write in spoken language, you'll be ahead of 95% of writers.
- The test is simple: don't let a sentence through unless it's the way you'd say it to a friend.
- Write Your First Draft However It ComesDon't try to apply the conversational filter during initial drafting — that creates cognitive overload. Write your first draft in whatever voice comes naturally, even if it's formal, stiff, or overly complex. The point of the first draft is to get ideas on the page. The conversational filter is an editing tool, not a drafting tool. Graham suggests that 'perhaps the best solution is to write your first draft the way you usually would, then afterward' apply the filter.Pro tipIf you're a particularly stiff writer, try dictating your first draft instead of typing — your spoken voice is naturally conversational.
- Apply the Friend Test Sentence by SentenceGo through your draft sentence by sentence and ask: 'Is this the way I'd say this if I were talking to a friend?' For every sentence that fails the test, imagine what you would actually say in conversation and replace the written version with the spoken version. This filter catches fancy vocabulary ('the mercurial Spaniard' vs 'Picasso'), overly complex sentence structures, and the formal distancing that makes writing feel impersonal. After practice, this filter 'will start to operate as you write. When you write something you wouldn't say, you'll hear the clank as it hits the page.'Pro tipRead your draft out loud — Graham does this before publishing every essay. Anything that sounds wrong when spoken needs rewriting.WarningThis is not about dumbing down content. Experts in 'abstruse' fields talk to each other informally about the hardest ideas. Different words, yes. More complex sentences, no.
- Use the Nuclear Option for Severely Formal WritingFor writing that's so far removed from spoken language it can't be fixed sentence by sentence, Graham recommends a more drastic approach: 'After writing the first draft, try explaining to a friend what you just wrote. Then replace the draft with what you said to your friend.' This nuclear option works because your spoken explanation will naturally be clearer, simpler, and more direct than the written version — you can't use 'the mercurial Spaniard' in conversation without laughing.Pro tipRecord yourself explaining the topic to someone, then transcribe and edit the recording. This guarantees conversational voice.WarningThis approach may strip out some necessary precision. After replacing, review for accuracy — spoken explanations sometimes oversimplify.
Graham's essay was triggered by a sentence from Neil Oliver's 'A History of Ancient Britain' that referred to Picasso as 'the mercurial Spaniard.' Graham asks the reader to 'imagine calling Picasso the mercurial Spaniard when talking to a friend. Even one sentence of this would raise eyebrows in conversation. And yet people write whole books of it.'
Graham applies the conversational filter to his own work: 'Before I publish a new essay, I read it out loud and fix everything that doesn't sound like conversation. I even fix bits that are phonetically awkward.' People frequently comment on how much his essays sound like him talking, which Graham notes 'shows how rarely people manage to write in spoken language.'
Graham published this essay in October 2015. The 'last straw' that prompted it was a sentence from Neil Oliver's 'A History of Ancient Britain' that described Picasso as 'the mercurial Spaniard.' Graham imagined using that phrase in conversation with a friend and realized how absurd it sounded — yet people write entire books in this style without noticing. Graham's own essays are frequently praised for sounding like him talking, which he notes 'shows how rarely people manage to write in spoken language. Otherwise everyone's writing would sound like them talking.' The essay was reviewed by Patrick Collison and Jessica Livingston before publication.