This Process is a Mess

About this episode

Tara McMullin shares a behind-the-scenes look at the messy process of creating compelling content through a case study of an article she published.

I live for people explaining how they approach analysis and critique. I desperately want to know how other people think about things so I can learn to think in new ways. I want a compelling intellectual or journalistic project, but I also want to know how it was conceived and executed. I hope you enjoy hearing that kind of behind-the-scenes, too, because that's exactly what this episode is. It's a case study that I shared with the last cohort of Making Sense, my 8-week program for turning "Wait, what?!" moments into compelling content, explaining how an article I published last year came together. You'll hear just how messy the process (and why working through it is worth it). Footnotes: Read the article version of this episode. Check out Mia Sato's article about dupes for The Verge and her TikTok video explaining how she approached the topic. " Drafting Towards the Status Quo " on What Works “ Wait, What?! ” on What Works Learn more about Making Sense! ★ Support this podcast ★

People in this episode

Host: Tara McMullin

Topics covered

• analysis
• critique
• content creation
• case study
• messy process
• intellectual projects

Keywords

• analysis
• critique
• content creation
• case study
• messy process
• intellectual projects
• Making Sense
• Tara McMullin

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Making Sense, Mia Sato's article about dupes for The Verge, Drafting Towards the Status Quo, Wait, What?!

More episodes of What Works

• We're Not Late (Or, Rethinking the Long-Term) · June 4, 2026 · 21 min
• Rethinking Social Media · May 28, 2026 · 15 min
• Just Because You Can: The Eggbeater Effect Revisited · May 21, 2026 · 23 min
• Apples, Oranges, and Iceberg Metrics · April 30, 2026 · 41 min
• Oh Joy! On Facing Down Burnout · April 9, 2026 · 43 min
• The Wages of Hierarchy · March 20, 2026 · 1h 6m