I’m Learning How to Write. Again.

I don’t know about you, but very often, writing is a chore for me. Since I started working online, I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve sat down to write an article, and the words simply flowed out of me easily and effortlessly.

One recent article took nearly an entire day to write, and it really wasn’t that long of an article; only about 900 words. It’s a brutally painful process, and it has to be remedied lickety-split.

After doing a bit of research this morning, I’ve discovered what some of my problems are. The first issue seems to be around my expectations. See, I expect to be able to sit down in front of my computer and just start typing out an article easily and effortlessly. That’s not really a bad expectation, but I expect to do it without any sort of preparation before sitting down to write. I expect that the information is already in my head, and all I need to do is get it out of my head and onto the screen. Apparently, that’s not how real writers work. Real writers actually do a bit of preparation that makes their writing much easier and effortless.

Another problem for me seems to be that my writing muscle has become weak (I bet you didn’t know you had a writing muscle). Working as a web developer for the last few years, I haven’t done much writing other than basic web development or WordPress tutorials, and those are more like technical writing than creative writing. That sort of writing actually comes pretty easily to me, and perhaps I should analyze that further to see what makes it so much easier.

The final big problem for me, like many aspiring writers, is something that Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way, calls the Censor. The Censor is that little voice in your head that is constantly editing and criticizing every single word and sentence you write. I’ll write a sentence, and as I’m writing it, the Censor is there in the background talking to me. No, not that word. That sentence sucks. There’s another typo. You can’t write. You can’t even type. Give it up, and get a real job. And on and on he goes like that until I either give up or complete the piece – many hours later – to his exacting and perfectionist standards.

The Censor is what really slows down the writing process. Apparently, the secret is to get into the habit of just writing without stopping. Just write what comes up. Anything. Any idea. Some people even suggest that you turn off your computer monitor as you write. In fact, as I write this, I’m not even looking at my screen. I’m looking at my keyboard.

Sure, when you get done, you’ll likely have some garbled mess of written crap, but that’s okay. The idea is to get the thoughts out of your head and onto the paper (or screen), then go back ad edit that mess. Oh yea, did I mention editing (this article was practically illegible before I edited it)? Apparently, real writers do what’s called a first draft. Then they go back and edit that first draft over a period of time. Hours perhaps. Maybe even days.

Going back to the expectations thing again, I expect to sit down and pump out an article in 20 minutes, and I expect to have it be perfect the first time through. Apparently, it just doesn’t work that way. And ultimately, that’s good to know. It’s good to know that I’m at least somewhat normal. It’s also good to know there are tools, strategies and practices that can make writing a much more natural and effortless process for me.