3 Tips to Make Writing Easier

3 TIPS TO MAKE WRITING EASIER
by Michael Katz

Move when the spirit moves you. Sometimes you've got a deadline and you've got no choice but to sit down and get it done. But that's the worst case scenario. The best case scenario is when you're so energized about a particular topic or issue that the words practically write themselves.

I've learned to pay attention to when I feel inspired, and absent some constraint that I simply can't get out of, I'll push everything else aside to take advantage of an unexpected visit from the "Good Writing Fairy.*"

Chances are you don't like writing as much as I do. Even so, I'll bet there are times, moods, days where it all just flows easier for you. So suggestion number one is to look for these and write inside of them whenever you can.

Write something, anything (even if it stinks), and then come back. I have to admit that I don't like doing this. I prefer to write from the "top down," not moving on to the next sentence until I'm happy with everything that came before.

But I've learned that it's a lot easier to edit and polish than it is to create, and when I'm having trouble, I'll just get something down and come back to it later for improvements.

Expect some bumps in the road. I've spent most of the last two days writing a client newsletter that when delivered, will take all of five minutes to read. I don't like when that happens (most months that same newsletter takes me about half a day), but I don't worry about it anymore either.

Like I said, it's random, and if it doesn't show up today I'll look for it tomorrow. Give yourself the same permission to be inefficient, and you'll find the process goes a lot easier (and the final product comes out a lot better).

Bottom Line: Writing – particularly the kind associated with the unstructured, "thought leader" E-Newsletters we talk about here – is rarely a straight line experience. Instead, it's filled with stops and starts, dead ends, confusing moments, and yes, wasted time. You may never love doing it, but hopefully, you can at least make it a little less painful.