Getting the Words Out: Why You Should Write Without Worrying
- Blue Bear
- Aug 23, 2023
- 2 min read
While reading a book, have you ever wondered how quickly you read through it? Did you ever wonder if it was this easy?
Easy reading is damn hard writing - Nathaniel Hawthorne
Victor Hugo took 12 years to write Les Miserables. Harper Lee wrote To Kill a Mockingbird in 2.5 years.
These are vastly different times, yet still ended up as famous books.
Writing is a process of frustration, tears, and ‘give-up’ moments. You write words upon words, pages upon pages, yet are nowhere near finishing.
I have started countless stories and novels. Sometimes, they ended within my mind, before ever touching paper, sometimes they were half-written, but I did not know what to write next.
I recently re-started working on two projects. One of them is a mystery on Wattpad. I promised myself that I would publish a chapter every Wednesday, the day I publish my blog. I write around 500 words in every chapter of the Journey To Truth. Honestly, these words aren’t as polished or thought of as my main book. Something I want to publish as a physical book.
The most important thing I learned is to write every single day. I try to write as much as I can. Sometimes 300 words, sometimes 700 (that happened only once this month to be fair). But when the odds are not in my favour, I have no motivation to write, I still write at least 100 words. Because if you wait for inspiration every time you sit down to write, you will never get done. Relying on inspiration is something I have tried and failed at. If you just grind at it, you will finish. Finishing is the difference between aspiring published writers and published writers.
I just read this paragraph from Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte. Although it does not directly say it, it did remind me of the importance of advice I have heard and read about multiple times. Advice that I have ignored.
You might cut sentences or entire pages from an article you’re writing, or delete scenes from a video you’re making, or drop parts of a speech when you’re trying to keep within your allotted time. This is a completely normal and necessary part of any creative process. - pg 190, Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte
The indirect lesson I re-learned from this paragraph is to first finish a manuscript, and then critique and edit it.
If we spend too much time wondering if the sentence ‘sounds’ perfect or not, we will never get done. ‘Vomit’ your words on paper, get them down first.
The essence of this article is to write first and worry later. This doesn't mean that you keep making grammar mistakes. Write neatly, but don’t sweat if it doesn’t click. If you’re having trouble with a scene, summarize where you want to go with it and continue.
When you ‘finally’ finish writing, go over it. The joy of writing THE END will give you the motivation to fix any cluttered writing and plot.
Hope this provided you with some insight, I certainly cleared my head by writing this.
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