The Examined Writer
Learn how to write reflections for the modern reader.
You love thinking about the big questions of life, and want to share your musings with others. You love philosophy, and want to broadcast your curiosity by writing out your thoughts.But you have a few questions that act as roadblocks:“How do I write philosophy without sounding clichéd and trite?”“How do I take abstract concepts and make them relatable?"“How do I take all my musings and organize them into an essay?”“Wait… What does it even mean to write an essay in the first place?”These are all great questions, and ones that have intricate answers. But instead of giving you a dry dissertation as a response, I’d like to offer something far more fun:A succinct and practical curriculum that will show you how to write engaging reflections.
Since philosophical writing is tied in with the art of living, this course starts by delving into the mindset of an Examined Writer, and how to cultivate the clarity required for the craft. Then you’ll delve into the writing itself, and learn a method that will take you from idea to essay through a series of original frameworks.The course is comprised of 36 high-quality videos, which are spread across 6 modules. Here’s what we’ll go over in the Examined Writer curriculum:
The Examined Writer Curriculum
36 Lessons Spread Across 6 Modules
Why do you write?
We’ll begin the journey by first identifying what a philosopher is, and how you already are one. You’ll then explore the core motives of why you write, and where you stand between the poles of intrinsic motivation and external validation.
Cultivating an Examined Life
This is a writing course, but writing cannot exist independently of mindset. In this module, we’ll go over the art of self-exploration, and how you can use the 1-page journaling method to regularly cultivate insights from your own life. You will also do an exercise to identify your favorite thinkers, and will learn how to rephrase their ideas using your unique perspective.
Timeless topics done right
Death, money, the meaning of life. Philosophy is the art of addressing timeless topics in a way that feels novel and fresh.We’ll go over how exactly you do this with some popular philosophical themes, and will also unearth the secret connections that live between them.
Brainstorming your essay
It’s time to think through the foundation of your piece and identify the building blocks.We’ll go over the 10-minute outline, where you’ll have all your important ideas identified in a short period of time. You’ll also learn the PAT Model, which will reveal the theme of your piece in a matter of minutes.
Writing your essay
Philosophical writing is all about the exploration of nuance. It’s less focused on providing an answer, and more about framing the question in different ways.In this module, you’ll learn how to use the Two Views Spectrum to dance between conflicting views, and will use the Abstract / Concrete Spectrum to make your ideas relatable. Then we'll go over the Argument Matrix to put everything into practice.
Building your writing practice
Writing isn’t simply putting words on a page. It’s the result of intentional habits and serendipitous thoughts that work together to create the rhythm of your practice.We’ll go over the question of cadences: How often should you write? How often should you publish? And how do you choose what’s best for your style? You’ll also set a physical environment that optimizes for flow, and will be reminded of the importance of rest.
What's included in the course
36 high-quality videos
Each video lesson consists of an idea, concept, or framework that you can apply to your writing practice. Some lessons will use visual presentations to facilitate learning, while others will be more conversational in nature.
Set of illustrated worksheets
Some lessons include worksheets we'll do together to consolidate the core concepts. For example, there's one on assembling a 10-minute outline, and another on identifying and rephrasing your favorite thinkers. All worksheets will be available for download.
In-depth case studies
Every concept we go over will be backed up by concrete examples. To make everything as practical as possible, I'll use two of my popular essays as case studies to review all the frameworks together.
Lifetime access to the course
This is not a subscription product. You enroll once, and you’ll be able to access The Examined Writer forever. This includes any updates I make to the course as well.
What's included in the Premium Edition
For a bit more, get access to additional course formats and a bonus lesson.
A private audio feed for on-the-go learning
You will receive a private podcast feed with each module as its own episode. That way you can listen to the course in the car, while you work out, do the dishes, etc. You can pause whenever you’d like, and simply pick back up where you left off. Perfect for busy folks.
Beautifully formatted transcripts
Each lesson will come with a transcript that you can download for offline viewing. These aren’t AI-generated transcripts; I wrote each one, as if each lesson were its own essay. That's 30,000 words of material, all available to you right away.
Bonus lesson on newsletter writing
The Examined Writer focuses on essay writing, but if you’re also curious about newsletters, then this lesson is for you. I’ll go over how I think about writing an engaging newsletter, and how you can incorporate these concepts into yours as well.
Meet your instructor
Hey there, I’m Lawrence Yeo, the writer/illustrator of More To That.I love philosophy, but one problem with the field is that much of the writing is inaccessible. There’s a lot of jargon, and much of it is unrelatable for the everyday person.I started More To That in 2018 as my response to this. People love philosophy when it’s presented in a clear and fun way, and I wanted to create illustrated essays that brought those principles to life. Fast forward to today, and More To That posts have been read 3 million times from almost every country in the world. This just confirms my belief that when philosophy is made relatable, it resonates with more folks than you could ever imagine.This simplicity and clarity guides every part of my work, including the creation of this course. Philosophical writing can be daunting, so I made The Examined Writer to distill the practice into its most essential.
❝ Fundamentally, as writers, we're all trying to clarify and communicate our own philosophies about what it means to live a good life. But many of us never learned the tools to do this well.The Examined Writer dives deep into how to live an examined life, then share those experiences with the world.I'm a better writer, deeper thinker, and more intentional human being after taking this course. ❞
Corey Wilks, Psy.D. - Psychologist & Coach
❝ This course addresses all the psychological, behavioral, and even environmental factors that get in the way of establishing any creative pursuit . . .I now have this tool that I can keep referring back to when I’m feeling stuck, confused, or frustrated with myself. This gives me the confidence to just take that first step. ❞
Gerald Clark - Partner @ Manolin Investment Group
❝ This course is a joy and inspiration. Each lesson is an exercise in clarity and simplicity. And because of that, you gain a deep understanding about how to create philosophical essays.It provides a simple method of creating the type of work I've always wanted to create but couldn't seem to accomplish. I'm really looking forward to working with the Examined Writer methods and integrating them into my own creative process. ❞
Jeff Johnston - Creator @ The 4610 Project
❝ The Examined Writer positions itself as a course for writing philosophical essays. My sense is that it applies to much, much more.It's a framework for thinking about any abstract issue that can be used by anyone struggling to get their ideas on paper.As a Premium purchaser, even though I've been publishing a newsletter for over 15 years, my most immediate actions resulted from the bonus lesson on newsletter writing.Very happy with my purchase. ❞
Leo A. Notenboom - Chief Question Answerer at Ask Leo!
❝ This is a no-fluff course on writing philosophical pieces. I used to find it challenging and very time-consuming to write longer thoughtful articles. This course has given me a more concrete way to prepare and think through my essays.The short videos make it easy and encouraging to move through the course and complete it. By the end of the course, I had frameworks, mental models, and habits on how to think and write insightful pieces that will help my readers see the world from a new perspective. ❞
Mohammed Ali Vakil - Writer / Artist at Sufi Comics
❝ The Examined Writer was very easy to go through, and I finished it less than 3 days . . .It's an amazing course, as it helped me stay true to my values and my identity as a writer.I would definitely, definitely recommend it. ❞
Ioana Patale - Copywriter @ University of Wollongong
❝ The information in the course is short, eloquent and clearly structured, with no unnecessary fluff.This course brings clarity on why we write, how to live an examined life, while it distills writing to a simple and easy to follow system and also addresses related topics such as writing frequency, productivity, note taking, rest and self-care. I couldn't have asked for more! ❞
Anca Vicoleanu - Writer
❝ I thoroughly enjoyed Lawrence's warm and and inviting approach to teaching.I was struggling with a particular essay just before I purchased the class and decided to set it aside while starting the modules. By the end of the course, I had gone back to the essay, totally re-worked it with what I had learned, and had a really solid draft on what I had been exploring. ❞
David Kunin - Retired RN
❝ You couldn't ask for a better teacher than Lawrence Yeo. He provides frameworks, mental models and best practices for how he writes his pieces and has grown his own work.You don't have to be a writer to enjoy this course (although it doesn't hurt), as these lessons are broad and go beyond the keyboard. You'd be mistaken to skip out on this. ❞
Derek Wong - Writer at So What Now?
❝ The Examined Writer is an invitation to think deeper about life.Lawrence presents non-prescriptive methods that free you to think clearly and understand yourself better. His presentation style is engaging, which meant I was eager to go to the next lesson.In fact, this is the only online course I have ever finished! ❞
Chris Felstead - Lifelong Learner
❝ Lawrence takes a humble, tactical approach to teaching philosophical writing.He takes what feels inherently heavy and perhaps even treacherous and transports it to a more welcoming plane. ❞
Joan H. - Writer
❝ The Examined Writer isn't just a writing course, it's a mindset shifter. It awakens the philosophical writer within, urging you to ask essential questions and delve deeper into your ideas.I recommend it to anyone who is serious about their writing practice, and also to anybody who wants to improve their thinking and framing skills. ❞
Lola Mure - 'The Good Wei' Writer
❝ I've been writing tutorials for more than 10 years. I have thoughts and opinions, but they never found space in my writing. And I'm also used to hiding them in real life.In The Examined Writer, I found simple and effective tools that I can add to my practice to overcome these limitations. And they are explained with perfect clarity. ❞
Alberto Cabas Vidani - Content Entrepreneur
The Examined Writer
Course Syllabus
6 Modules | 36 Videos | 3 Hours
Module 1: Why do you write? (16 min)
01. Introduction
02. You are already a philosopher
03. Intrinsic motivation vs. external validation PREVIEW
04. Identifying why you write
Module 2: Cultivating an Examined Life (23 min)
01. Philosophy vs. self-help
02. The art of asking "why"
03. The thinkers that inspire you
04. Less quotes, more personal insights
05. The 1-page journaling method
Module 3: Timeless topics done right (15 min)
01. Intro (Whatever you do, don't be trite)
02. Death
03. Money PREVIEW
04. Morality
05. Knowledge
06. The meaning of life
Module 4: Brainstorming your essay (24 min)
01. The question is more important than the answer
02. The A-ha moment
03. The PAT Model PREVIEW
04. The 10-minute outline
Module 5: Writing your essay (1 hr 5 min)
01. There are no rules to writing
02. Distraction-free environments
03. Anatomy of a great opening
04. The Two Views Spectrum
05. The Abstract / Concrete Spectrum
06. The Argument Matrix
07. Case Study: The Time Trap of Productivity
08. Case Study: The Problem With Note-Taking
09. Rhythmic editing
Module 6: Building your writing practice (32 min)
01. What's on your desk?
02. How often should you write?
03. How often should you publish?
04. Content vs. classics
05. The importance of rest
06. The 10-minute daily reflection
07. The tyranny of the perfect day
08. Final words
Enroll in
The Examined Writer
Essential Edition
The core curriculum of the Examined Writer.
$200 USD
Instant access to 36 HD videos
Full 6-module curriculum
Set of illustrated worksheets
Lifetime access
Private audio feed of the entire course
Formatted transcripts of every lesson
Bonus lesson on newsletter writing
Premium Edition
Everything in Essential + exclusive resources.
$265 USD
Instant access to 36 HD videos
Full 6-module curriculum
Set of illustrated worksheets
Lifetime access
Private audio feed of the entire course
Formatted transcripts of every lesson
Bonus lesson on newsletter writing
❝ I have already started organizing my thoughts using Lawrence's brainstorming and outline techniques.Whether I use these techniques to organize my thoughts on various topics or start writing a blog post in the future, I know what I learned from this course will help me write in a more confident and concise manner. ❞
Joe Caruso - Author
Frequently Asked Questions
Click on the question to see the answer.
— Is this a live or self-paced course?
This is an entirely self-paced course, so you can take it according to your own schedule.
— Are closed captions available for the video lessons?
Yep! Closed captions are available in English for every lesson.
— Do I need to purchase any other tools for this course?
Nope! As long as you have a computer and a connection to the internet, you have everything you need. All the resources I recommend are free and readily available for download.
— Once I get the Premium edition, how do I access the audio feed?
After purchasing the course, I will provide you with a private RSS link that you can add to your favorite podcast player. You will receive more detailed instructions once you enroll.
— I don’t intend to publish any of the essays I write. Is this course right for me?
Absolutely. Just because you write doesn’t mean you have to publish. Many people write purely for themselves, largely because they just love the craft. In the first module, there’s a lesson where we go over intrinsic motivation vs. external validation, and how philosophical writing satisfies any side of that. Whether you publish or not, the principles of The Examined Writer will apply.
— I write because I want to build an audience. Is this course right for me?
Audience-building is not an explicit part of The Examined Writer. There’s no discussion of social media tactics, list building, or anything of that sort. There are plenty of other writing courses out there for that.With that said, you can use The Examined Writer method to refine your message and communicate your ideas better. You will learn how to explore nuance in your writing, how to make abstract concepts relatable, and much more. If you put these tools to practice and create resonant essays as a result, then it’s only natural that an audience takes shape.
— What is your refund policy?
The Examined Writer is a digital educational product that gives you instant access to all the material upon purchase, so it’s non-refundable.
The Examined Writer is a More To That course.
Made with ♡ in Los Angeles, CA
