Writing styles of 60 great essayists
Every writer has a style: the length of their sentences, the words they reach for, how they open an argument and how they land it. Each profile has a short bio and an analysis of how the author writes, plus essays you can retype to feel that style from the inside.
Agnes Callard
Contemporary · Essays, Books
Philosophically precise, accessible, and inquiry-driven.
1 essay to practice
Andy Matuschak
Contemporary · Essays, Research Notes
Experimental, systematic, and meta-cognitive with technical precision.
1 essay to practice
Anne Helen Petersen
Contemporary · Newsletter, Books
Academic-journalistic hybrid, research-based, and culturally perceptive.
1 essay to practice
April Dunford
Contemporary · Books, Articles
Practical, experience-based, and framework-driven with clear examples.
1 essay to practice
Ben Thompson
Contemporary · Blog Posts, Newsletter
Structured, framework-driven, and analytical with clear examples.
1 essay to practice
Byrne Hobart
Contemporary · Newsletter, Essays
Dense, analytical, and reference-rich with frequent historical parallels.
1 essay to practice
Cal Newport
Contemporary · Books, Blog Posts
Research-backed, structured, and principle-oriented with practical applications.
1 essay to practice
Cathy Park Hong
Contemporary · Essays, Poetry
Poetic, analytical, and personally engaged with cultural critique.
1 essay to practice
Cedric Chin
Contemporary · Blog Posts, Newsletter
Analytical, pattern-focused, and practical with case studies.
1 essay to practice
Charles Lamb
19th Century · Essays
Intimate, whimsical and deliberately old-fashioned.
1 essay to practice
Cindy Alvarez
Contemporary · Books, Articles
Practical, research-based, and customer-focused with clear methods.
1 essay to practice
Cory Doctorow
Contemporary · Essays, Fiction
Incisive, technically informed, and politically engaged with narrative flair.
2 essays to practice
Edgar Allan Poe
19th Century · Poetry, Short Stories, Criticism
Analytical, emphatic and precise about effect.
1 essay to practice
Elad Gil
Contemporary · Blog Posts, Books
Practical, experience-based, and systematic with clear frameworks.
1 essay to practice
Ellen Pao
Contemporary · Books, Essays
Direct, evidence-based, and solution-oriented with personal experience.
1 essay to practice
Erica Joy Baker
Contemporary · Blog Posts, Essays
Technical, straightforward, and culturally aware with practical solutions.
1 essay to practice
Eugene Wei
Contemporary · Long-form Essays
Analytical, thorough, and systems-oriented with rich historical context.
1 essay to practice
Eça de Queirós
19th Century · Novels, Journalism
Elegant, ironic and richly observed.
1 essay to practice
Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer
19th Century · Poetry, Prose
Lyrical, intimate prose that addresses the reader directly.
1 essay to practice
Jane Jacobs
20th Century · Books, Essays
Observational, narrative-rich, and systems-oriented.
1 essay to practice
Jason Cohen
Contemporary · Blog Posts
Direct and analytical with a focus on practical examples and data. Combines personal experience with broader business principles.
1 essay to practice
Jerry Neumann
Contemporary · Blog Posts, Essays
Theoretical, historically informed, and analytically deep with practical implications.
2 essays to practice
Jia Tolentino
Contemporary · Essays, Journalism
Incisive, lyrical, and culturally perceptive with personal reflection.
1 essay to practice
Joseph Addison
18th Century · Essays
Balanced, urbane and lucid.
1 essay to practice
José Martí
19th Century · Essays, Journalism, Poetry
Dense, figurative and urgent, built on short emphatic sentences and bold images.
2 essays to practice
João do Rio
20th Century · Journalism, Crônicas
Lively reportage that mixes interviews, street scenes and commentary.
1 essay to practice
Julie Zhuo
Contemporary · Books, Essays
Clear, structured, and example-rich with practical applications.
1 essay to practice
L. M. Sacasas
Contemporary · Newsletter, Essays
Thoughtful, historically grounded, and philosophically rich.
1 essay to practice
Lima Barreto
20th Century · Novels, Crônicas
Plain, direct and sardonic.
1 essay to practice
Lulu Cheng Meservey
Contemporary · Social Media
Clear, direct, and often witty. Combines strategic insight with practical communication advice.
2 essays to practice
Machado de Assis
19th Century · Novels, Short Stories, Crônicas
Ironic, digressive and quietly skeptical.
3 essays to practice
Maria Popova
Contemporary · Essays, Books
Lyrical, interdisciplinary, and deeply researched with rich quotations.
1 essay to practice
Mariano José de Larra
19th Century · Journalism, Essays
Ironic, conversational and quick to turn a scene into an argument.
2 essays to practice
Mark Twain
19th Century · Novels, Essays
Plain, conversational and dryly satirical.
1 essay to practice
Matt Levine
Contemporary · Newsletter, Journalism
Witty, precise, and analytically deep with entertaining explanations.
1 essay to practice
Michael Lewis
Contemporary · Books, Long-form Journalism
Narrative-driven, character-focused, and accessible with complex subjects.
1 essay to practice
Michel de Montaigne
16th Century · Essays
Digressive, candid and self-examining.
1 essay to practice
Miguel de Unamuno
20th Century · Essays, Novels
Combative, personal and paradoxical.
1 essay to practice
Morgan Housel
Contemporary · Blog Posts, Books
Story-driven, accessible, and rich with historical examples.
2 essays to practice
Packy McCormick
Contemporary · Newsletter, Essays
Entertaining, research-backed, and optimistic with pop culture references.
1 essay to practice
Patrick McKenzie
Contemporary · Blog Posts
Comprehensive Deep Dives: McKenzie's writing is characterized by thorough exploration of topics, often producing definitive pieces that become go-to references in their respective areas.
2 essays to practice
Paul Graham
Contemporary · Essays
Paul Graham is an English-American computer scientist, writer and essayist, entrepreneur and investor.
3 essays to practice
Peter Drucker
20th Century · Books, Essays
Clear, conceptual, and principle-based with practical applications.
1 essay to practice
Ralph Waldo Emerson
19th Century · Essays
Aphoristic, compressed and quotable.
1 essay to practice
Rita McGrath
Contemporary · Books, Articles
Academic-practitioner hybrid, framework-rich, and strategic with practical application.
2 essays to practice
Robert Louis Stevenson
19th Century · Essays
Supple, musical prose that is deliberate about the sound of every sentence.
1 essay to practice
Roxane Gay
Contemporary · Essays, Books
Direct, personal, and analytically sharp with emotional depth.
1 essay to practice
Ruha Benjamin
Contemporary · Books, Academic Writing
Academic-public hybrid, analytical, and socially engaged.
1 essay to practice
Sam Altman
Contemporary · Blog Posts, Essays
Direct, principle-based, and experience-driven with strategic focus.
1 essay to practice
Scott Kupor
Contemporary · Books, Essays
Detailed, insider-perspective, and educational with practical insights.
1 essay to practice
Shirin Ali
Contemporary · Journalism
Clear, conversational news analysis that walks through events in order and explains the law behind them.
1 essay to practice
Shreyas Doshi
Contemporary · Social Media, Essays
Analytical, framework-driven, and nuanced with practical wisdom.
1 essay to practice
Simon Sarris
Contemporary · Newsletter, Essays
Contemplative, practical, and historically informed with personal experience.
2 essays to practice
Ted Chiang
Contemporary · Short Stories
Precise, philosophical, and technically rigorous with narrative depth.
1 essay to practice
Tim Urban
Contemporary · Blog Posts, Long-form Essays
Humorous, thorough, and visually supported with original illustrations.
1 essay to practice
Tracy Chou
Contemporary · Blog Posts, Essays
Technical, data-driven, and solution-focused with cultural awareness.
2 essays to practice
Tyler Cowen
Contemporary · Blog Posts, Books
Eclectic, analytical, and quick with broad knowledge synthesis.
1 essay to practice
Venkatesh Rao
Contemporary · Blog Posts
Neologistic Approach: Rao is known for creating new terminology and frameworks to describe complex phenomena.
1 essay to practice
William Hazlitt
19th Century · Essays
Vigorous, plain-spoken and opinionated.
1 essay to practice
Yancey Strickler
Contemporary · Books, Essays
Systematic, visionary, and practical with ethical focus.
1 essay to practice