I decided to add this post to the Collection called Writers on Writing because the name got me thinking: what exactly is a ‘writer?’ And more importantly, am I a writer? I technically write at least something everyday (email totally counts, right?), yet I never really considered myself a ‘writer.’ I’ve always reserved that designation for pros — or at least those who can make it more than three sentences without using the word “totally.”

I’m definitely more of a talker — just ask my friends who can never seem to get me to shut up. While I also enjoy writing, I often find it frustrating how long it takes me to convey even the simplest of thoughts. Case in point: it took me nearly an hour to write these first two paragraphs. I’ll write a sentence, reword it, tinker with it some more, get frustrated, and then delete everything just so I can start all over again. Sometimes I give up entirely — I stress so much over how to write well that I routinely end up not writing at all.

A while back, I came across a post by Seth Godin called “Talker’s block.” In the post, Seth explains why so many people struggle with writer’s block, yet nobody ever seems to struggle with “talker’s block”:

The reason we don’t get talker’s block is that we’re in the habit of talking without a lot of concern for whether or not our inane blather will come back to haunt us. Talk is cheap. Talk is ephemeral. Talk can be easily denied.

We talk poorly and then, eventually (or sometimes), we talk smart. We get better at talking precisely because we talk. We see what works and what doesn’t, and if we’re insightful, do more of what works. How can one get talker’s block after all this practice?

Of course, Seth’s solution is quite simple:

Just write poorly. Continue to write poorly, in public, until you can write better.

So there you have it, the secret to improving your writing, courtesy of Seth Godin. At least, I think it’s the secret — I’m still stuck on Step One myself. You have to admit, though, it does make a lot of sense.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time I’ve written about Seth’s advice. I tried to use it to motivate me during a failed attempt to renew my commitment to blogging a few years back. While I clearly excelled at the writing poorly part, I simply didn’t do it consistently enough to see much improvement.

That’s where Medium comes into play. I had been itching for an invite since I first heard about the site last summer, and now that I’m finally a card-carrying member, I figure it’s as good a time as any to recommit myself to writing. Again.

So here’s to writing poorly. Hopefully it will someday allow me to write less poorly. Totally.