Monthly Archives: January 2008

Getting it Right the First Time is Rarer than You Think

It’s a rare one who writes right the first time, every time. And I am not that rare one. I used to think a poem needed to work the first time written, or it was meant to be trashed. I thought the writing process that we learned about in grade school was for the masses and that genius afforded the real writers to just write once. I got it into my head that I couldn’t pursue writing because I was one of the masses and not the genius. Happily, I found that is not the case.

Ritual is Only Part of the Process

Through the years, I’ve read a lot about writing. Not the definitive list, but a good few books and articles, by some profoundly talented people. One common thread I noticed in the fabric of all writing stories, is that the best of them—of us, work at writing. We work to refine our skills, to keep up with current communication trends, and we invent new techniques along the way that suit the way we write.

And, there are the rituals; stories abound of writers who sit, sweat, fret, fume, gnash, gnaw, rant, writhe, meditate, moan, exercise, chant, eventually yielding to release and renewal, to re-insert balance and bliss into their writing life. Many that I’ve read about have ridden this frantic magic carpet, some regularly, only to return to sanity and civility, after having given birth to their next great work.

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I enjoy being a copywriter. It’s something I always wanted to do. Basically, I get to translate data into usable content. When I’m not writing, I’m researching, getting ready for the next assignment. And since my topics are varied within the company’s focus, it is a big plus that I’m interested in reading broadly. And because I am curious, researching a topic is an adventure and not a chore. Because the internet is the greatest encyclopedia of all time, bringing the entire connected world to me, I am never at a loss for information and second through fifth opinions if I need that.

Being a good writer is key to staying afloat. Being a better reader is what puts you ahead of the game. I said better reader, not faster. Speed is always good but it’s not the main focus. Never substitute speed for accuracy and comprehension if you want to survive in the writing world.

I have three fundamental guidelines that I try to follow:

1. Be thorough in your research, as time permits
   • If you don’t have time to research many, go to the sources you trust and be clear about what you read
2. When you’re surfing researching, bookmark your top picks—and be picky
   • Just because you know the blogger, doesn’t mean you’ll get the best material. Have a discriminating eye because your steady audience will
3. Never submit your work without reading it through
   • Try, always, to give yourself the time it takes for a complete read-through. It’s worth a small delay to proofread.

These are three guides that serve me well as I work my word magic. I think they will help you too as you develop your portfolio, do your job, or do a friend a favor.

You have things that keep you on track, I’m sure; if you have the time, I invite you to share.

Sometimes I just have to write. I gain perspective on the thoughts that sometimes assail me. This is my morning routine but I sometimes let it get away from me. When it seems like there’s no time to relax and everything with a deadline was due yesterday, it’s time to write.

It’s not always grammatically correct or complete sentences, sometimes I write lists, phrases or draw pictures and diagrams. It just has to get out through my hand(s). Sometimes I type in a computer journal, but for maximum effect, for me, I find that writing long-hand grants me deeper connection with things going on in my world and how I’m ultimately relating to them.

Random thoughts fly into my head when I’m tired and sometimes I just try to capture them in a shorthand version of what they tell me. Often there are several things at once, phrases and images floating around my mind, or whirring through. When I am in a real hurry, and deadlines and dreams overwhelm me, that’s when I’m forced to take a deep breath or miss something critical—that’s happened too. I find that free writing helps me regain my clarity and focus.

I forget the history of the term “free writing,” or where I first heard of it. I came to fully understand it in a book, The Right to Write, by Julia Cameron. It may even have come from her book. All I know is that’s where I understood the good that comes from just writing what comes up, just for the sake of catching it. The whole process makes everything clearer.