Transcript
The biggest obstacle to writing is the desire to produce perfect prose — instantly. The words should spring fully formed from their minds onto the screen, else it means they’re not a good writer. Writing should flow. It should flow for the reader, but that’s what editing is all about — and editing comes later. The writing process itself seldom flows.
I find that most people need at least five stages to produce a finished piece of writing:
- Zero Draft – a loose and sketchy collection of ideas, just for you! You absolutely don’t share this with anybody else. Pick out the good ideas and develop them in the …
- First Draft – here there’s some attempt at structure, but the main aim is to develop your ideas without worrying about how everything fits together. Then you’re ready for the …
- Second Draft – now you’re refining those ideas, thinking about and strengthening your argument, dropping anything that doesn’t fit. You’re starting to consider your reader and perhaps sharing it with your supervisor or trusted friend. With their input, you move on to the …
- Third Draft – this is where you’re clarifying, improving consistency, signposting and implementing any feedback. Once this is done, you proceed to the …
- Final Draft – only now do you address the tiny details, such as whether that should be a semi-colon or a dash. Proofreading is unbelievably tedious, so you don’t want to spend time perfecting drafts that are still changing.
You might need fewer or more steps. If you’re a scientist, you might be writing in a more structured way from the outset, as there are usually strong conventions that need to be followed. For those of you writing in a more exploratory way, you’ll probably find it easier to apply structure retrospectively. This way, you’re not inhibiting yourself. Whatever your approach, you need to break it down into stages.
I’ve found that most people work in a way that feels profoundly inefficient: scribbling in different places, transcribing, highlighting, consolidating, and sifting. It feels chaotic, but it’s the only way they can get to the final draft. That’s fine – it’s the process that works for you.
The fundamental point is that you shouldn’t be trying to write and edit at the same time — they should be different stages of the cycle. You’ve probably heard the idea that the two sides of our brain are responsible for different activities. The left side is concerned with anything analytical, logical, or linear; the right side, meanwhile, is creative — making imaginative leaps, using intuition, and spotting connections. If we’re seeking to create something new, we need to harness the right side of the brain. It’s impossible to move logically through something that doesn’t yet exist.
However, the two sides of our brain are often in conflict. The right side spends five minutes cranking out a dozen words, then the left side devotes the next hour to deciding whether they’re the correct dozen words. You’re switching between writing and editing, getting tired in the process, and not making much progress. The trick is to keep writing and editing separate.
Find an approach that works for you. But, whatever you do, break it down. Writing then editing. This is tough to do. It takes practice. You won’t ever lose the urge to edit, but you can learn to resist it. If you’ve ever tried meditation, you’ll know how hard it is to let go of thoughts about mundane matters when you’re supposed to be focusing on your breath. With practice, though, you’ll let go much quicker.