You’ve Never Seen Writing Visualized Like This — Michael Dean
Here are the top 10 key takeaways from David Perell's conversation with Michael Dean about his revolutionary framework for analyzing and improving writing through objective, measurable patterns.
1. Writing quality has objective patterns beneath subjective preferences
Writing contains both subjective and objective elements, but the objective dimension is severely underrated. While readers have different tastes regarding topics, time periods, and styles, fundamental design problems exist across all writing that can be systematically analyzed. Michael Dean developed SA Architecture, a framework mapping nine elements across three dimensions (Idea, Form, Voice), creating 27 measurable patterns.
These patterns function like architectural principles. Just as architects can analyze vastly different buildings through section drawings and diagrams to reveal similar structural solutions, writers can examine diverse essays to discover shared compositional foundations. Dean scores every essay on these 27 criteria, demonstrating that pieces as different as David Foster Wallace's "Consider the Lobster" and George Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant" both achieve mastery through the same fundamental patterns, just executed differently.
2. Paragraphs need hooks and punchlines to maintain reader engagement
Every paragraph should function as a mini-story with a hook that creates mystery and a punchline that provides subtextual reward. The hook draws readers in by planting invisible questions, while the punchline delivers an emotional or intellectual payoff that makes them want to continue reading. This creates a continuous loop of engagement throughout the piece.
In Wallace's writing, a paragraph about lobsters opens with "The point is that lobsters are basically giant sea insects," immediately reframing expensive delicacies as disgusting bugs. It builds through examples of their ancient origins and ugly appearance, ending with the subtle revelation that lobsters "sometimes eat each other" - implying cannibalism without stating it directly. This progression from hook to subtextual explosion exemplifies effective paragraph construction.
3. Scope down to microcosms rather than trying to cover everything
Writers consistently make the mistake of expanding scope when they should contract it. Rather than writing about animal ethics broadly, Wallace zooms into lobsters, then Maine lobsters, then specifically the 2002 Maine Lobster Festival. This creates a tangible, specific experience that represents larger universal themes.
Umberto Eco's "Pick One Volcano" principle illustrates this concept perfectly. When a student wants to write about volcanoes, Eco pushes them to narrow from all volcanoes to active Mexican volcanoes to finally just Popocatépetl. By examining one volcano in extraordinary detail, the student can understand the essence of many volcanoes. The key is choosing the right microcosm that contains broader truths within its specific boundaries.
4. Tension drives reading through questions and obstacles, not just storytelling
Tension operates through three mechanisms: intention-obstacle-consequence for character-driven narratives, and question-answer patterns for idea-based writing. Both create the unknown elements that compel readers forward. Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant" follows traditional conflict structure, while Wallace organizes "Consider the Lobster" around hierarchical questions.
Wallace structures his essay with invisible questions at multiple levels. The title poses the main question: "Is eating lobsters wrong?" The essay then breaks into three mid-level questions about lobster history, sentience, and ethics. Each section contains paragraph-level questions that plant curiosity in readers' minds and immediately answer it. This creates constant forward momentum without explicitly stating most questions.
5. Personal writing requires biography, interiority, and outlook working together
Effective personal writing combines three elements rather than just expressing feelings. Biography shows the concrete details of your life that others can observe. Interiority reveals the thoughts and calculations happening in your mind that no one else can access. Outlook presents your beliefs and worldview that might differ from standard perspectives.
The mistake many writers make is focusing only on outlook - simply stating their beliefs without providing the experiential foundation. Strong personal writing shows the specific biographical moments and interior processing that led to particular beliefs. This creates a complete loop where experiences shape thinking, which influences new experiences, demonstrating genuine transformation rather than just opinion-sharing.
6. Maximalism and minimalism both follow structural principles
Wallace's maximalism works because he varies the resolution of his details systematically. In one paragraph describing the Maine Lobster Festival, he includes 37 different examples but alternates between general observations ("carnival rides") and absurdly specific details ("William D. Atwood Memorial Crate Race"). He also clusters details into categories rather than listing randomly.
This technique creates the "hyper-reality" effect in his writing without becoming overwhelming. The key insight is that maximalism isn't about including everything, but about strategic variation in detail resolution. Sometimes you zoom out for broad perspective, sometimes you compress many examples into single paragraphs, and occasionally you expand one story across multiple paragraphs. The rhythm of this variation maintains reader engagement.
7. Voice emerges through spirit, sound, and sight working in harmony
Voice consists of three measurable components that can be objectively analyzed. Spirit lives in the subtext and implications underneath sentences, creating the attitude readers sense across paragraphs. Sound involves the auditory qualities of prose when read aloud, including rhythm, repetition, and rhyme. Sight focuses on concrete imagery and specific word choices that create vivid mental pictures.
Voice becomes authentic when it honestly transfers your consciousness onto the page. Dean maintains a "logging" practice where he writes thoughts throughout each day and publishes them to an unlisted page where no feedback is possible. This preserves his authentic voice without self-consciousness, providing a baseline for maintaining genuineness in higher-stakes writing situations.
8. Practice analytically, then perform intuitively
Master writers study fundamentals intensively before developing their distinctive styles. Jerry Garcia practiced banjo scales for ten hours daily before becoming the improvisational genius of the Grateful Dead. Jack Kerouac wrote traditional novels for ten years before creating his spontaneous-seeming masterpieces. Hunter Thompson rewrote every word of "The Great Gatsby" to feel what great writing was like.
The romantic notion of pure intuition ignores the analytical foundation that enables fluid performance. Dean's SA Architecture framework serves as a map of the fundamentals worth studying systematically. Once these patterns become internalized through deliberate practice, writers can forget the system and write intuitively while still benefiting from the structural understanding they've developed.
9. Edit with laser focus on one pattern at a time
Effective editing requires examining drafts through focused lenses rather than general impressions. Instead of reading through hoping to catch problems, focus on highlighting just one element like voice, then color-code your document to see where that element succeeds or disappears. This reveals specific weaknesses that can be systematically addressed.
When voice problems appear in particular sections, often the solution is rewriting rather than minor edits. You can loop through multiple attempts at the same paragraph, analyzing each version against your criteria until it works. This focused approach is more efficient than trying to fix everything simultaneously and provides clear feedback on what techniques are effective.
10. AI will amplify writing quality and enable personalized learning
The future of AI in writing isn't about replacement but amplification and education. AI excels at generating possibilities, compressing drafts to reveal essence, and providing research connections. However, the physical act of writing and editing remains crucial for developing thinking skills and personal voice. Schools should protect this fundamental process while leveraging AI for feedback and exploration.
Dean envisions AI-powered writing education that creates personalized learning paths based on individual drafts and weaknesses. Rather than mass curriculum, students would write first, then receive targeted instruction on exactly what they need to improve. This approach makes learning more efficient and relevant while preserving the transformative aspects of the writing process.
The ultimate goal is creating reliable AI scoring systems for the 27 writing patterns, providing writers with precise feedback on their strengths and development areas. This would compress the typical 10-20 year journey to writing mastery into months or years while maintaining the depth and personal growth that makes writing such a powerful skill.