Writing, or The Art of Disentangling Thoughts
Several months ago, I sat by my computer, created a Medium account and decided to publish my first article.
I didn’t overthink it. I wanted to start writing again, for the sake of writing. Something about the craft gave me a sense of fulfillment, like putting small pieces of a puzzle together.
I’m slowly beginning to understand why:
Writing is the art of disentangling the knots in the brain so you can reach clarity.
The path to clarity requires a process.
Here are the 4 steps I use:
#1 Brainstorming
When I don’t know what to write, which happens a lot of the time, I take a piece of paper and try to fill it with whatever comes to mind.
Brainstorming is a useful method to generate ideas, and it encourages quantity rather than quality. I’ve used it for most of my articles and it helped me obtain a broad overview of my message.
There are no special rules, so long as you remain non-judgmental to yourself. Any idea that is too crazy, too weird or too boring might lead to an avalanche of insight you weren’t prepared for. That’s the point: once the messy thoughts are spilled into the real world, there’s a high chance that more ideas will come out of their shell and create connections.
#2 Grouping
The brainstorming stage is done. But it’s very messy.
The article will need some structure, hence the need to divide the huge knot of thoughts into smaller knots.
I use highlighters to separate the “big” themes I want to explore. Out of the 4 steps, grouping is the less time-consuming for me.
The colors can help to visualize if there’s any coherency between the themes.
Using my own example, I thought my main topic was going to be about brainstorming. But after sorting out the knots, I discovered that my article was going on a new direction: I ended up exploring the whole writing process instead.
#3 Drafting
After the grouping session, I ask myself whether I’m confident to move on to the next stage.
Sometimes I need to create a summary. Other times I am ready to dive in. So I head up to Medium and click on the Write button.
This process is what people commonly refer to as writing. But I’d argue that every step— from creating mind-maps to jotting down references — is also writing. They also require you to transmit words unto the page.
That’s why I’m using the term of drafting: the act of generating sentences that only the writer will read.
I must admit this is my hardest task: I’m often tempted to edit before I even finish a paragraph.
One useful tip is to not read your text until you have completed it. Or, if you can’t help it, skim through it and make some quick changes before moving on.
If the sentences aren’t good enough, it’s meant to be that way. When you’re drafting, the purpose is to align the knots you just disentangled. At first, they will be twisty and wavy.
Thankfully, we have the refining stage.
#4 Refining
I also like to call this: the Snip snip method (like the sound of scissors).
25% of the draft will be gone. Useless sentences? Cut. Paragraphs that don’t fit in the article? Cut. Unclear and heavy words? Cut.
I believe editing is crucial for an article to be well-understood. If the writing is clear, the thinking is clear.
Refining also implies that you disassociate from yourself: that way, you’re able to distinguish what’s intelligible and what’s not.
The more you refine, the more you can embellish your thoughts. The more you can project your style and the effect it will give to the reader.
But I‘m also convinced that too much editing leads to overthinking, and in the worst cases, inaction to hit the Publish button.
Your article might never be perfect. But as long as you’re satisfied with it, I think it’s all that matters. Plus, there will be many more articles to produce and improve in the future.
Final Note: Writing is Subjective
If you’re just starting out, I hope this article can inspire you to see writing as a process. Please note, however, that my guide is subjective. I still think I’m a beginner and want to explore new ways to create an article. For the moment, these 4 steps have been working for me.
The great thing with writing (and art in general) is that there are no perfect rules. Instead, you get to invent your own.
Experiment with different techniques. Find what works for you. Above all, discover what system fills you with energy.
If you’re a writer, I’d be interested to know the techniques you like to use. How do you organize your craft? Feel free to share your answers in the comments!
