Personal guidelines and preferences for writing
I recently read Stephen King’s On Writing, and it got me thinking about how I could produce more, better, and frequently. Below is a summary and reflection on that book and what I can take away from it.
It’s always been nice to daydream about having had spelled out a topic on x or y. “If only this was written down!”
“No one’s had it spelled it out in this specific way!”
Being that guy, that has an answer ready at hand for all of life’s problems. But thoughts mean nothing unless they’re captured. It’s probably the case that many of everyone’s problems have already been answered. Just that the answer was inside someone’s head and never acted upon. I see writing as a good bridge in between.
Some maybe good, some maybe shit
You can’t expect everything to put out to be polished. Or even good. Remind yourself that it’s a process. Improving your ability to express yourself clearly takes work, revision and evaluation.
Commit it to your routine
The act of writing should be as instilled into you as other habits you incorporate into your life. You wake up. You brush your teeth. You shower. You exercise. You write. Like many other habits, it is only a small component of your life, that when repeated over a long period of time, becomes part of who you are.
Get your work edited
“Write with the door closed. Rewrite with the door open.” I always get self-conscious when letting other people read things I’ve written. It reminds me of the job interview process - you suit up, get all pretty, paint this image of yourself as someone with something worth saying and go home and anxiously wait for someone to tell you they like you.
I suppose I don’t take criticism easily and well - but I should. Thinking a bit deeper on this - why even write something you find useful for others, if the others don’t find it useful? It’s natural to write things for yourself and also write things for others. Keep in mind what is what and the process that each needs to go through.
Hard deadlines
Artsy people love to pin their delays on “writer’s block” or “not quite perfect yet”. Set a realistic and achievable goals that are time-bound.
(As a side note, I’m personally aiming for about 1000 words, or one post a week. Surely I could pump this quantity out in an hour or two, right?)
Write often, read more
I like reading because it lets me hear the thoughts of someone else. How they think - how they interpret and perceive the world around them - is then combined with the how they express it to others via set of words they command in their chosen language(s).
Let drafts be drafts
I have a side of me that loves self-correcting. Rereading something and then saying “ahh, this could be better”.
“I don’t like this whole thing, it feels off.”
“It’s okay, I guesss…”
Fuck it. Keep going. Finish the piece. Put it away. Let it cook. Then come back and read it with fresh eyes. You won’t remember that you even wrote this. That’s a good time to review and make changes as you want.
Restrictions
- First drafts are around 500 words. More than that, and you’re just fucking around. Keep it short, keep it strong.
- Edit leisurely. Review often. Tend to the weeds. This is a garden, not a relay. Everything matters, sometimes.
- Fuck it, keep going.