Write Your Best Stories Yet With These 2 Powerful Tips
He typed frantically on his laptop, searching in the depths of his mind for the elusive idea he had. The fingers run as if they have a life of their own and he is almost there. But then Grammarly tells him there is a spelling mistake.
So he goes back to fix it. And then he leans back dumbfounded as to what the hell he even wanted to write in the first place.
We’re all here to write, whether it’s to better ourselves, seek a career, or bring awareness to our brand. And we all want to craft the best stories out there. So we consume content about writing, but it all looks the same.
Not this time.
Stop using Grammarly wrong!
I’ll be addressing Grammarly but this advice works on all grammar and spell-checking software out there.
What?
Grammar-checking programs like Grammarly or many others on the market are quite easy to use. You install the plugin and the wizard just informs you what’s wrong. So how can you get it wrong?
It’s all about the timing!
I advocate for writing through your subconscious. This can only be achieved when you let your fingers run on the keyboard without applying any thought. You can always edit it later, but first, let the raw stream of you flow on the page.
And that’s when Grammarly comes in.
It’s so easy to get distracted by the small error you just made. I’ll just fix it now. And by fixing it now you break your flow.
Sure you might get back right into it. But you can’t guarantee it.
Let your fingers dance in a mindless frenzy. You can always tidy it up later.
Are you using Medium’s best nonwriting tool?
This might be a new account but I’ve been on Medium before memberships were a thing. And a pleasant surprise I have found is that they have voice narration for stories, to support the visually impaired.
But they also support the lazy writer.
Imagine you writing one of your best stories ever, topping at an absurd number of 4000 words. Then think about going over it. Again and again. Each time finding a mistake and fixing it.
Grammar mistakes are the easy parts, but finding logical areas that don’t sound right or are out of place, is harder. And oftentimes, we get so inside our own heads that we straight up skip over these parts. Then we wonder how the hell did we write this awful story.
Use voice narration instead!
As a curious human being the moment my wife told me she loves listening to my stories instead of reading them, I had to try myself. And let me tell you, it’s as if somebody else is reading your story.
It gives you a different perspective!
And it will speed up your writing speed tenfold. I have been using it ever since I created my first stories on this account and they are flying like hot buns on a Saturday morning.
But how do I use it since it’s not available in Draft mode?
First, read the previous advice and make sure you let your subconscious have its turn on your page. Then click on the 3 dots next to the scary publish button and choose “Share draft link”. Then copy the URL.
Open an incognito window or a different browser account with that URL. And press play.
It’s up to you whether you hear everything all at once and fix it later or fix it along the way. After you tidy it up, you can refresh the draft URL browser immediately. It usually works quite fast.
And re-listen. Over and over.
Before you know it, you’re amazed by the story you’ve just written because it sounds incredible. It happened to me plenty of times and nothing beats a pat on the shoulder.
But because we are digital, you can give this story a clap or fifty to show your appreciation, and learn more about writing from Casey Neistat, the famous NYC vlogger:
