Write tired, edit awake
You may be familiar with the somewhat famous quote “Write drunk, edit sober” that’s often attributed to Ernest Hemmingway…
Fun fact: He didn’t actually say that and he never wrote drunk (apparently he wrote in the morning and didn’t drink until the afternoon).
I don’t write drunk either.
But I DO write tired.
And when I’m tired, most of what I write is trash. Well, the main idea is solid. But the delivery is horrid. (Just for the sake of proving my point. I’m going to keep my first draft of this blog and link it here so you can see how this all started 😂)
But I keep doing it anyway, and there’s a pretty good reason for doing so.
I used to put off writing (or starting a drawing… or a crochet project) until I knew I had enough time to do it all in one sitting.
I just couldn’t get over the thought of starting something but not being able to finish it.
What if I had great ideas that didn’t come back? Would I be able to get into the same creative flow? Would it be obvious that I had to work on this over multiple sittings? (Like it actually mattered!)
Turns out… It was just my way of procrastinating.
Why we I tend to procrastinate… and what to do about it.
There are many reasons why people procrastinate. Sometimes, a few of these reasons even work together to create the ultimate procrastination bomb.
Maybe it’s lack of motivation, having too many distractions, dealing with overwhelm…
For me, I noticed that in most cases, it’s because the thing I had to write (or the drawing I wanted to start… or the project I wanted to crochet) was outside of my comfort zone.
I wanted to play it safe by making an excuse that allowed me to justify not starting.
“It’s because I don’t have enough time to finish it!” Nope. That’s a big fat lie.
In reality, I think I was just scared of failing. I felt like if I stopped, I wouldn’t follow through until the end.
And if I didn’t start, I couldn’t fail. Right?
Oh how things have changed.
Now, I KNOW nothing will get done in one sitting, and I also don’t let that stop me.
I’ve learned that there’s value in taking things in steps. And it actually helps improve the quality of what I write too!
This blog, for instance, is the perfect example of me putting this idea of “taking steps” into action.
My first draft (linked above) is more of a stream of thoughts, just me typing out ideas I want to touch on so I can get it all out of my head.
When I do this, I write without the intention of editing. That can be hard to do, but it’s SO helpful.
This brain dump is a combination of things I had written in the Notes app on my phone and ideas that pop up as I continue to write. And at 6:15pm (which is when I did the first draft for this blog post) that’s often as far as my brain can go.
There’s no deep, life-changing insights coming out of this noggin during the first draft phase. Nope, no way.
But what happens now is I can come back and edit with fresh eyes. I can take what I previously wrote down and elaborate in a way that makes sense.
I can add in perspectives to help you see things in a new way or add in some thought-provoking questions for you to ask yourself about the things YOU do.
Or… I come back and look at everything and wonder where all this garbage came from and if I’m even good enough to do this or know what I’m talking about and I just contemplate giving up… but my friend, that is a topic for another day 😂 (Imposter Syndrome is a bitch.)
In the end, getting those initial thoughts down while “writing tired” really allows me to dig deeper into the things I want to share with you. And that’s the whole reason I’m doing this in the first place!
Why creating a writing habit is important
Another benefit I get when I “write tired” (even when I don’t want to) is it helps me form the habit of daily writing. Even if it’s just 10 minutes some days, it’s better than nothing.
And ultimately, this helps me become a better writer down the line. How?
It helps me avoid that dreaded writer’s block!
Every day, I sit down and write. And sometimes when I start a new blog post, I don’t actually know what I want to write about. But I just start writing whatever comes to mind at that moment anyway, and with no expectation of the outcome 👈🏻 that’s the important part.
Remove the expectations.
Will I end up using what I wrote? Maybe, maybe not. But in most cases, something good comes out that I can then save for later, even if it doesn’t end up being relevant for that specific post.
A great friend of mine, and fellow copywriter, really helped me see the value in this one. She told me about a video she had listened to a long time ago (she couldn’t remember exactly what it was so I don’t know who to give credit to)....
In the video, they actually mentioned this strategy. When you don’t know what to write, just begin with the intention of writing the worst blog post/content piece/podcast script/whatever. Doesn’t matter what you’re writing… just write. And write the worst version you can.
Because even if it’s complete sh*t, it’s something. It’s a starting point. And if it ends up sucking, you’ll have a better idea of which direction you DON’T want to take in the final piece!
But then, as I already mentioned, you go back when you have a fresh, wide-awake mind and you edit to make it better.
And as I begin to write more and put more of my ideas out there, this has proven to be waaaay more useful and productive than staring at the laptop screen crying because I don’t know what to write. (I may or may not be speaking from experience 😬)
So, after working on the brain dump for this blog post for about 15-20 minutes, I put it away and came back with fresh eyes.
And thankfully, I didn’t feel like I was trying to polish a turd. This time.
TL;DR - Things to try when you don’t know what to write
Here’s the basic insights, tips, and suggestions gathered from this post that you might find useful or would like to try.
Will they all work for you? I honestly don’t know. We’re different people, and what works for me might not work for you. Don’t let that discourage you from trying though!
Write tired, edit awake
Write drunk, edit sober
Braindump your first draft with NO editing
Write the worst blog/content/etc. post with the intention of it being sh*t
Remove expectations
Break your task into smaller steps - a large task is less overwhelming when it’s made of many smaller pieces
Acknowledge the source of your procrastination. Kick its ass
Walk away. Literally, close your laptop and leave
And if you’re still struggling with writing emails that allow you to effortlessly connect with your audience through story, make sure to grab my free guide Make Your Emails Unforgettable - it’s loaded with helpful nuggets and tips you can start using asap 😉
When it comes to writing, what do you struggle with? What tricks have you tried to conquer that struggle?
