Analyzing the stages of writing and editing an article: writing
Briefly and without super insights on how to write a text quickly and without pain (well, or almost without it).
What would you advise someone who needs to write an article or post? Well, of course: sit down and write, damn it, it’s finally enough to stick around!
It’s so simple. If you don’t sit down and open the document, nothing will work. So start at least with something.
But those who have already tried it understand that it’s not that easy.
The second stage, when it is necessary to write a logically coherent engaging text according to the plan and theses, is the most difficult part. Most of the time, copywriters and editors waste a big deal of time at this stage. Although they should spend less on it.
Let me remind you from a previous post:
— Preparation (70% of the time).
— Writing (10%).
— Editing (20%).
But how to do that?
Here are some important thoughts that will help you write faster:
1️⃣ Writing from scratch is painful. The sight of a white sheet reduces enthusiasm and increases sadness. Suffering is not the point, because the text will be full of your pain, and readers will feel it.
That`s why:
☝️ The first task is to write at least something. Dirty the sheet. Sometimes it’s easier to write not in the new Google doc, but in the place where you have already left the plan.
I heard that someone changes the color of the sheet in Google Docs so that it does not press like this: File → Page Settings → Page Color.
As for me, I write microcopies in an online notebook. There is no sacred meaning in this, it’s just that he seems to require less from me, it’s like writing something on a napkin. I write the first version, then I reread it, and delete the extra. Modification of the text doesn’t hurt. Write at least something so that there is something to modify.
✌️ The second task is to add some pleasure to the process. Turn on the music. Make tea or aromatic coffee. Ventilate the room. Light a candle if you like it. All this seems unimportant, but this way you can not perceive working with text as work. And the text will smell of free thought, not the sweat of a slave.
2️⃣ Don’t be a perfectionist. Perfectionism will come in handy in the third stage — during editing.
The task of the first iteration is to write down the facts and ideas in the right order. Sentences do not have to sound good (this does not mean that you need to write intentionally badly, just write how it goes).
3️⃣ Logic is more important than beautiful text. Rethinking the logic is much more expensive: you have to rewrite the entire text.
In the first iteration, it is important to focus on the main theses and a logically correct structure. At the sentence level, we are not yet editing.
I recall when I worked at Skillbox, the editor-in-chief often and easily wrapped up a fully prepared text. I didn’t even give edits if the text did not solve the problem, and the logic was weak. He said why to edit this, why to waste time. Even the most talented editor won`t pull out such a text.
People often try to write and edit at the same time. It turns out poorly organized text, because too much attention is paid to the details, and it interferes with seeing the whole picture.