Writing is becoming an increasingly important business skill. Everyone is being asked to communicate more and a large part of that is in writing. And more business executives, business owners and leaders, are being asked to communicate with the outside world through blogs and social media. Writing is very difficult for most people, especially getting started. And thinking like a writer is something that most people don’t do naturally.
Last week I stepped outside my garage door in the late morning. A straight, sharp line of snow outlined the grass at the edge of my driveway, as if a groundskeeper had chalked it there where the winter sun would not erase it.
The odd thing about experience was this: those words, exactly as I’ve written them above, was precisely what I thought at that moment. I smiled to myself. I was thinking like a writer.
You can think like a writer, too. Here’s the secret: you have to write every day.
It’s not as difficult a chore as you might think. Here are some simple steps to get you started:
- Go buy yourself a journal. I like the Moleskine ones. Now pick a time and every day at that time, you’ll write for at least 20 minutes. I don’t care what you write about; just write. Detail the previous day or the one before you. Write about that you had for breakfast. Write about that man you saw on the train. Just write.
- Start a simple blog. Even if it’s aimed just at an internal audience, start a daily habit of writing a couple of paragraphs about what you’re thinking. And be sure to open up the comments to receive feedback. In fact, ask for feedback from your readers.
- Require clear, well-written communications from yourself and everyone else in your organization. Don’t let sloppy writing, misspellings, poor grammar, and “leet speak” and SMS codes (OMG, ROLF, etc.) take over your internal communications. Make it clear that you care about good writing and clear thinking.
- Find a partner and editor. Every great writer has a great editor. Look for someone inside your organization that you can work with to help you hone your skills.
- Write every day. Yes, I said that already. But it’s the key. To think like a writer you have to write with such regularity that it becomes a natural part of your life. And before long, writing will become as easy and as natural as breathing.
Writing, good writing, requires a particular state of mind. Even if you do not have the desire to write a novel, you will benefit from the work habits of writers. Writing every day will help you attain a near meditative state and see the world in a way that allows you to view and organize it as you would write about it. It’s an important skill and one you can have for yourself. It just takes a few minutes of writing, every day.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I like what you say about writing and the near meditative state it can induce. The concept of ‘creative ‘flow’ was highlighted by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. He identified it as the point when you are in the moment and totally absorbed. It is very rewarding.
The tedium of checking facts and spellings comes later !
Flow is very important and not as difficult to achieve as many people think. You simply have to do a task, like writing, as often as possible and for a long enough time AND only do that one thing. I’m often surprised how easy it is.
Some mornings I sit down to write and just don’t feel like doing it, but it’s writing time and I have to begin. And within a few minutes, or maybe an hour, the other distractions and doubts fall away. I always feel more energized when I finnish than I did when I started.
Thanks for commenting!
Randy
Randy,
I think one of the most important things about writing is to write without thinking specifically about an audience–that is, at first turn off the internal censor who will only allow you to write perfectly formed exactly grammatical sentences. You need to get away from the 4th grade teacher who gave you C’s on all your essays and not worry about what she’d have to say about your structure, your thought, your sentence length and your excessive use of adverbs. Once you’re in the habit of writing every day, you can let some of these guidelines and provisions come back online–but until then they are like the gom jabbar causing such great stress in mind that unless you are like the Desert Mouse, you are bound to fail.
shalom,
Steven
Amen to that, brother.
I’m within days of finishing the first draft of a novel. And I’ve only been able to churn it out in just under 12 weeks is by just letting it pour out. The manuscript is a mess – I’d hate for anyone to see it, but by turning off the spell and grammar checker and just letting the words come I’ve really enjoyed the experience. It was hardly work at all.
And it was my college Freshman-year writing instructor that told me I wouldn’t amount to anything. Thank you for that bit of cruel motivation, Mr. Wallace. Better teachers than you have tried and failed at breaking me.
Dear Randy,
Just correcting an error in html address brought to my attention by another kindly blogkeeper.
shalom,
Steven
Dear Randy,
Great news that–when it’s in condition to be read, I’m here to read!
shalom,
Steven
{ 3 trackbacks }