Don’t Be Afraid to Suck
This is this first entry in my goal of writing at least 100 words a day for 100 days. Let’s see how this goes (these words in italics don’t count).
I had an interesting talk with one of my bosses they other day. He’s not really my direct boss, but one of my company’s higher ups/managers.
We both write a fair amount in our day-to-day jobs. He’s an experienced publisher with dozens of books under his belt. I’m a burgeoning marketing writer who started his writing career as a newspaper reporter.
This boss of mine, let’s call him Bill, ends up editing most of my writing. Though I’m in marketing, he’s the subject matter expert for all the stuff I write about. He also has fairly strong opinions on the voice of our brand (for better and for worse).
I’ve been at my current job for a little less than two years now, and in that time Bill and I have developed a great working relationship. We’re both grammar nerds with strong feelings about how words are put together. He’ll edit my work, but I’ll also edit his as he submits pieces for publication on behalf of my company. He’s both become a bit of a writing mentor of mine and come to respect my opinion. It’s pretty cool.
Anyway, our chat centered around the idea of writer’s block. He’s able to sit down and bang out 600–800 words in easily and hour, while I sometimes struggle with such a task.
I’m more the pensive type, prone to leaning back in my chair and staring at a blank Word document waiting for words to come. I’m envious of Bill for his ability and was interested in picking his brain a bit about it.
Bill’s strategy, I discovered, is relatively simply. He just sits down and writes.
That’s it.
He calls it word vomit, or just spilling words onto the page. Not going back and editing, not reworking as he goes. Just get it all down on “paper,” and worry about improving later. Don’t be afraid to suck at first, he tells me.
I’ve been trying to do this more recently, both in my professional and personal writing. Actually, what you’re reading right now is a product of this approach. I just sat down and banged out 400 something words in maybe 30 minutes.
Does it suck? That’s debatable. But I guess it’s not that hard after all.
