When I was growing up, I attended a Catholic school. There I learned about the seven deadly sins. These were the things a person could do that practically guaranteed they were going to spend an eternity hanging out in a hot place.
Writing has its own set of deadly sins: Procrastination, Paralysis, and Perfection.
Why do we procrastinate? We know we have to get our writing done, so why do we put it off? Generally it’s due to the second P: paralysis. We get so caught up in getting it right that we never get it done. This is the dreaded paralysis by analysis you always hear about.
And why are we so paralyzed? Of course, it’s the first P: perfection. We want our writing to be perfect, so we hem and haw around, constantly tweaking things trying to make it perfect.
So, how do we combat the three deadly sins? Live by this rule: Getting it right is less important that getting it done.
Like a great manager I once had was fond of saying, “It’s always about progress, not perfection.”
Reply
Steve.
A great introduction to how to write for beginners. People just get caught in the details of what to include, spelling and grammar. The longer a document is, the more likely it will have mistakes. Our brains work faster than we type. We are so critical of our own work and we think it is never good, but guess what some people will be impressed, others not much so. That's life.
The only difference I would make is that I wouldn't recommend that the first draft is made in front of a computer. The computer will mock you. Instead write the first draft using pen and paper. In that way, when you transcribe it to the computer you will make changes and therefore your second draft.
Thank you for this great training.
Antonio
I agree with your thoughts on the first draft, but only in the sense that one must find what works for them.
For example, with my first drafts, I tend to "vomit" on the page, meaning I just want to get everything out as fast as I can. And since I can type a LOT faster than I can physically write, I actually have the exact opposite experience... it is the pen and paper that wind up mocking me with the cold stare of the blank page.
After all that typing, I tend to print out my writing where I can go through it, taking my time, correcting mistakes and editing for style.
As you can see, we both seem to follow the same process, only in a different order. And that's the beauty of writing: there's no one right way to do it. :-)
When we are writing the first draft, we are in the creative mode. Here we are just trying to get our ideas down. This creative act comes from the right side of the brain. This is where things like creativity and emotion live.
The logical mode is where we do all of our editing. We are using the left side of our brain. This is where things like logic, math, grammar, etc. live.
As you can see, since each requires a different part of the brain, the absolute worst thing you can do is the try and do both at the same time. The constant back and forth hinders your writing, slows you down, and simply wears your brain out; it's just too much to handle.
So, when it's time to write, write. When it's time to edit, edit. And, to quote Kipling, never shall the twain meet :-)
Now I feel motivated to JUST WRITE cause its actually easier and enjoyable.
Here's to Progress, not Perfection (well not just as yet hehe).
Thank you again. :-)
