Write tired, edit awake

I don’t typically reveal the first draft… but as promised in my blog post, here you go 😂

Don’t be afraid to just let your mind think and your fingers work as you type out whatever comes to mind. This isn’t the final. No one has to see it (unless you show them).

Just get those thoughts down and edit later… when you’re more awake or clear-minded!

BRAIN DUMP 

You may be familiar with the quote “Write drunk, edit sober” that is often attributed to Ernest Hemmingway…

Which, he actually didn’t say that and he never wrote drunk. Fun fact.

And I don’t write drunk either.

But I DO write tired.

And most of what I write is trash. Well, the main idea is solid. But the delivery is horrid. 

I used to put off writing (or starting a drawing… or a crochet project) until I thought I had enough time to do it all in one sitting. 

I couldn’t get over the idea of starting something but not being able to finish it. What if I had great ideas that wouldn’t come back? Would I be able to get into the same flow? Or continue the thoughts in a way where it still seemed like a seamless stream of consciousness?

Turns out… it was just my way of procrastinating. And 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 the excuse that allowed me to justify not starting. When in reality, I was just a chicken shit.

Oh how things have changed. 

Now, I KNOW nothing will get done in one sitting. 

So I’ve learned that there’s value in taking things in steps. And it actually helps the quality of what I do be better than it ever was before.

This blog, for instance, is the perfect example of me putting this in action. 

My first draft 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.

It’s a combination of things I had written in my phone and ideas that pop up as I’m jotting those down. And at 6:15pm (which is when I’m doing my little brain dump) that’s often as far as I can get.

There’s no deep, life-changing insights coming out of this brain right now. 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 practically have to start over because it’s all garbage and I should have just spent the evening relaxing 😂

Another reason I “Write tired” even when I don’t want to is because it helps me form the habit of daily writing. Even if it’s just 10 minutes some days, it’s better than nothing.

And it helps me become a better writer down the line. How?

It helps me avoid writer’s block.

If I sit down every day, even if I “don’t know what to write,” I just start writing.

Will I use 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 at that moment.

My dear friend really helped me see the value in this one. She told me about a video she had listened to a long time ago (she doesn’t remember exactly what it was so I don’t know who to give credit to)....

They said a strategy you can use when you don’t know what to write is just to write the worst blog post/content piece/whatever… but just write.

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 you go back when you have a fresh mind and you’re not tired and you edit and make it better.

And as I begin to write more and put more of my ideas out there, this have proven to be way 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 now that I’ve worked on this draft for about 15 minutes, I’m going to put it away and I’ll come back tomorrow with fresh eyes.

And hopefully I won’t feel like I’m trying to polish a turd.

Tips for writing when you don’t know what to write

Random insights, tips, suggestions related to this post that you might find useful or would like to try:

-Write tired, edit awake

-Write drunk, edit sober

-Write the worst blog/content/etc post with the intention of it being shit

-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! 

Ending question.