Concept handles, after Alexander
References
Alexander, S. (2016, February 21). Nonfiction Writing Advice. Slate Star Codex. https://slatestarcodex.com/2016/02/20/writing-advice/
I’m not too likely to discover some entirely new social phenomenon that nobody’s ever thought about before. But there are a lot of things people have vague nebulous ideas about that they can’t quite put into words. Changing those into ideas they can manipulate and discuss with others is a big deal.
If you figure out something interesting and very briefly cram it into somebody else’s head, don’t waste that! Give it a nice concept-handle so that they’ll remember it and be able to use it to solve other problems!
Matuschak, A. (n.d.). Concept handles, after Alexander. Andyʼs Working Notes. Retrieved June 17, 2022, from https://notes.andymatuschak.org/z5vA4vw86DKNq22xt6pRWhumeRmSzwV6hxRHE
A “concept handle” is a memorable noun phrase representing a complex, often abstract topic.
Successful concept handles can really amplify a vague idea which many people sort of understand but can’t point to and talk about. If you give that vague notion a crisp, catchy name, you can unlock a lot of conversation and reflection.