One in a series of writing tips.
Writers often separate thinking from writing as if writing were solely a technical activity, like typing. Or executing a word code.
Yes, we must master grammar, spelling, word use and punctuation, just as mathematicians must master multiplication and division.
But thinking comes first, and it is the hardest part of writing – by far. Without it, our writing will stumble into incoherence and we won’t know or won’t discover what we want to communicate.
And if we writers don’t know, then readers won’t, either.
Do more than fill a screen or page with text. Think.
Writing with precision is separate but related. Even when we’ve thought smartly about what to write, we still must translate our thinking into words that are easily understood.
Precision is insurance against misunderstanding. Achieving it requires reviewing early drafts as if we’re future readers. We must repeatedly ask:
I know what I meant to convey. Did I succeed? Will readers who don’t live inside my mind – that is, everyone except me – get what I mean?
Know what you want to communicate. Then write it with precision.
NOTE: We’ll publish a 30-second writing tip every Wednesday while the supply lasts. We’ll welcome your tips too – presented in 180 words, of course.
The hardest part of writing is sitting down and doing it. I freelanced a newsletter for six months one year. My living space never looked so clean, before or after that gig.
Not my original thought, but sometimes true: the hardest part of writing is the vacuuming.
The thinking-first part was second nature in journalism. That process required me to start thinking about the piece before I got behind the wheel to drive to the story, think to order the questions so you get what you need before time or patience ran out, and my headline and lede were set on the way back. That mental muscle memory is a great thing, and the deadline and structure of a news story gives you a map. Adopting a practice for fiction is more of a challenge. I’m a pantser who wishes I was a plotter. Forty-thousand words in I find I have to write to know what I think (and rewrite, rewrite…). Making stuff up is much harder!
A pantser who wishes she was a plotter! I like that, Kymberli. I’d welcome a chance to read your fiction.
An excellent initiative. Such tips are particularly useful for writers. I am wondering whether I should summon the courage to try sharing a tip myself. Thanks, Jeff, for highlighting just how crucial learning to think is for writing!
Thank you, Nahar.