Malcolm Gladwell: A Study of His Work & Writing Advice

“A book, I was taught long ago in English class, is a living and breathing document that grows richer with each new reading.” — Malcolm Gladwell

Called the most original journalist since Tom Wolfe and named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in 2005, writer Malcolm Gladwell has created books that capture people’s attention all over the world. Gladwell first garnered attention for his work as a journalist at The New Yorker in the late nineties, but now he is best known for his seven published books, which won countless awards and led him to his position as a prominent speaker and journalist today. 

In this article we will gain a better understanding of who he is and why he is significant by looking at Malcolm Gladwell’s background, writing style, a few of his major works, influence, and writing advice. 

A Brief History

Malcolm Gladwell was born in Fareham, Hampshire, England, on September 3rd, 1963, the son of a mother who worked as a psychotherapist and father who taught as a math professor. When Malcolm was six they moved to Elmira, Ontario, Canada, where the Gladwells joined the area's Mennonite community; a rural part of the country, the people who live there by and large attended Mennonite churches, as well as lived traditionally without some of the staples of modern life, like cars. 

From early on in his education it was said that Gladwell was an ambitious and focused boy, and was inspired in writing by his mother and his access to libraries at the University of Waterloo where his father worked. In 1984, after graduating high school and interning at the National Journalism Center in Washington, D.C., he got his Bachelor’s of History from the University of Toronto and tried to pursue work in advertising. However, after being rejected from each and every advertising agency he applied to, he found himself working at the conservative magazine The American Spectator in Indiana as a last resort. 

In 1987 he began covering business and science for The Washington Post, where he stayed employed until 1996, when he took a job at The New Yorker. And in that first year at The New Yorker, Gladwell published two of his biggest articles, “The Tipping Point” and “The Coolhunt,” which propelled him into popularity as a journalist. The former of the two would go on to serve as the basis for his debut novel, The Tipping Point, published in 2000, which was an international bestseller and further cemented Gladwell as a notable writer. All six books he published following this debut were also bestsellers, winning numerous awards and wide acclaim, and he remains a stark figure in the journalism and literary spheres of the past two-plus decades. Today, Gladwell still works at The New Yorker, and he is always working on his next project. 

Writing Style

Malcolm Gladwell is known for a distinctive writing style characterized by a blend of storytelling, anecdotal evidence, and social science research. His inspiration and argumentation draws on a wide range of disciplines, such as psychology, economics, sociology, and anthropology, with a signicant part of his argumentation having to do with engaging anecdotes or real-life stories that capture readers' attention. Much of his work focuses on offering thought-provoking ideas to the audience regarding human behavior and decision-making, and it is also known for inspiring the audience to look at familiar topics from a new perspective. 

Despite the often complex and intricate basis for his ideas, across his novels Gladwell showcases an extremely skillful ability to put his thoughts into straightforward and easily-understood explanations, preserving accessibility and interest across a vast age range. However, it's important to note that opinions about Gladwell's writing style vary, with some believing his negative oversimplification or generalization of concepts could outweigh his accessibility. All of these traits and characteristics are put on great display in the following three works of Gladwell’s we’ll take a closer look at. 

The Tipping Point

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, or commonly known as The Tipping Point, was Gladwell’s debut novel published in 2000. It explores the moment when an idea, trend, or behavior crosses a threshold into rapid expansion, creating a significant impact, as well as the phenomenon of small and seemingly innocuous actions or events leading to significant changes in society. It utilizes a combination of storytelling, social science research, and real-world examples to explore what makes certain ideas or trends reach this tipping point while others do not, and he introduces three rules that he believes govern the tipping point of any phenomenon: The Law of the Few, that a small number of people, often called connectors, mavens, and salesmen, play a disproportionately large role in the spread of ideas; the Stickiness Factor, that ideas or messages must be presented in a way that is memorable and resonates with the audience; and the Power of Context, that the environment and conditions surrounding an idea or behavior can influence its tipping point.

Throughout the book, Gladwell provides numerous real-world examples to support his theories as well as in-depth case studies, such as the rise of the Hush Puppies shoe brand, the spread of the syphilis epidemic in Baltimore, and the success of the "Sesame Street" TV program, that serve to illustrate the principles of the tipping point that Gladwell posits. Accessible and straightforward language is also heavily utilized in this book, which indubitably contributed to its wide success across age-ranges and continents. Post-publishing, The Tipping Point was well-received for its insights into social dynamics and its exploration of small changes leading to significant societal shifts, and as such it remains a popular work in the genre of popular science and social psychology.

Blink

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, more popularly known as Blink, was Gladwell’s second book, published in 2005. In Blink, he explores the concept of rapid decision-making and intuition, arguing that quick and instinctive decisions, as well as snap judgments and first impressions, can often be as accurate as more deliberate and conscious decision-making processes. Gladwell contends that in certain situations, our unconscious mind processes information and arrives at conclusions faster and more accurately than our conscious mind.

As part of his justification, Gladwell explores how snap judgments, often made in the blink of an eye, can be powerful and insightful, examining real-world instances where people's intuition-based decision-making lead to successful outcomes. The adaptive unconscious is also discussed at length, or the part of the mind that operates quickly and efficiently by drawing on experiences and knowledge accumulated over time; Gladwell suggests that this part of the mind can process vast amounts of information rapidly and effectively on a need-to-need basis per a given situation. He also introduces the concept of "thin-slicing," which involves making judgments based on very narrow slices of experience or information, arguing that people have the ability to make accurate assessments in a short amount of time, often in a matter of seconds. But while praising the power of thin-slicing, Gladwell also acknowledges its potential pitfalls. Situations where snap judgments have led to biased or erroneous conclusions are discussed at length, which leads Gladwell to emphasize the importance of context and self-awareness.

Similarly to his first novel, the book is characterized by a narrative style that combines storytelling and research findings that is accessible and engaging, with real-world examples illustrating its points. Gladwell and Blink have, however, faced some criticism for oversimplifying complex psychological processes. Overall, though, it has been influential in popularizing discussions about the power of intuition in decision-making, and remains one of Gladwell’s most popular publications. 

Outliers

Outlier, or Outliers: The Story of Success, is Malcolm Gladwell’s third book, published in 2008 and selling over 1.8 million copies worldwide. In it, Gladwell seeks to challenge the traditional notion of success being solely attributed to individual talent or hard work — a precept that has long been maintained by many — by investigating the elements that contribute to high levels of success as well as the patterns that distinguish extraordinary individuals and groups. 

One of its central concepts is the 10,000-Hour Rule, which suggests that it takes approximately 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery in any given field, and Gladwell supplements his argument by examining the real stories of successful individuals, such as Bill Gates and The Beatles. The Matthew Effect is also introduced in this book, named after the biblical verse "For unto everyone that hath shall be given,” which examines how individuals born at certain times of the year may have advantages that accumulate over time, affecting their success. Cultural legacy and upbringing are explored as playing a crucial role in an individual's success as well, with the impact of cultural attitudes, family background, and early experiences on the opportunities available to individuals being discussed at length. 

In all, Gladwell argues that outliers, whether successful individuals or groups, are often shaped by cultural phenomena, historical events, and unique circumstances, challenging the idea of self-made success and highlighting the oft overlooked external factors that contribute to exceptional achievements. Gladwell has been praised for this thought-provoking exploration of success, however, it has also faced criticism for oversimplifying complex issues and generalizing from specific examples, a criticism that is raised repeatedly with much of Gladwell’s work. Regardless, the book has had a significant impact on discussions about success and the factors that lead to extraordinary accomplishments, remaining extremely popular today.

Influence

Malcolm Gladwell has had a substantial impact and influence in the realms of popular science, social psychology, and non-fiction writing. His books have been widely successful and all have been bestsellers, and his ability to present complex ideas in an engaging and accessible manner has attracted a broad readership and served as inspiration for those wishing to engage like he does.

As previously mentioned, while Gladwell has garnered widespread acclaim, his work has also sparked criticism. Some scholars and experts have questioned the depth of his analysis and the generalizations made from specific examples, and this criticism has led to debates about the balance between storytelling and rigorous research in popular non-fiction​​.​​ This is especially important considering Gladwell's concepts, such as the "tipping point" and the "10,000-Hour Rule," have become part of widely-understood popular culture and are frequently referenced in discussions about social phenomena, decision-making, and success. Not to mention, his work has also contributed to a significant shift in perspectives in these areas, especially in his exploration of outliers and the power of small changes influencing how people approach and understand these subjects.

Writing Advice & What We Can Take From His Work

Gladwell runs writing workshops where he provides insight, advice, and feedback to budding authors, and many have had significant takeaways from them, three of the key being the following:

““Writing should be simple enough that it does not defeat the reader.” If a work is so muddled with complex jargon and phrasing that the reader cannot even keep a handle on reading it, then you’ve defeated the purpose of writing it at all. As Gladwell posits, attempting to sound “uber-smart” often doesn’t succeed in doing what people hope it does, and instead makes them seem pretentious and unaware of their own readability. 

Two other pieces of his advice go hand in hand– “...never react to being stuck by stopping… the important thing is just to keep going. A lot of problems are resolved in the doing." Gladwell has found that writers, when they hit moments of being stuck, are often too concerned with their writing being perfect. But, as he says, “It's the great luxury of being a writer — we're not surgeons; the world does not hold us to our first pass." A first draft is only meant to be a first draft. There are many, many professional, accomplished writers that will tell you that their final versions often barely resemble the first shot at it, but that getting through that first attempt was tantamount to getting to where they ended. Just keep writing! Gladwell advises that pushing through and just getting something down on the paper is his tried and true method of getting past a sticking point– or getting to a tipping point.