Writing is more than writing

Jul 15, 2013 | Better Writing

Writing is more than writing. Writing is the product, the words on the page or on the screen. If you want to turn out good writing consistently, you also have to pay attention to your writing process.

Writing starts with ideas. Learn how and where and when you get your best ideas. That way you can recreate the conditions when you need a flash of insight. Feed your head with material that gives you more dots to connect.

Capturing ideas is what makes “creative people” creative. Write them down or record them, otherwise you’ll lose them. If your idea is sparked by an article or blog post or book, capture the reference, too.

Develop your development process. Learn how you work to select and modify ideas to make them usable.

Get your writing in rhythm. If you blog, keep a regular schedule so you have a regular rhythm of post development. Establish a habitual rhythm for your writing sessions so you get right to work and write effectively.

Revise, revise. Good writing really is re-writing. Learn to read your work aloud and revise it until it’s ready.

Pay attention to the process. Effective writers develop their writing process so they write better with less drama.