On May 3rd, 2021, a Monday, I generated probably close to 10 if not more ideas down for my daily post. Some of them I was able to riff on for a while and even produced what felt like half a draft. Others felt like they really only stood well as just a single line while still some others more felt like they had immense potential if I kept working on them.
Ultimately, I chose none of them. Instead, I chose to write about how about having “bad ideas” is part of the process. But they’re not necessarily bad ideas. They’re just ideas I haven’t fully explored, ideas that I didn’t commit a full draft to, ideas that I forgot to return to and apply deeper thinking towards. They’re less bad ideas than they are ideas I didn’t see all the way through or figure out yet.
I learned a few things as I attempted to convert some of those ideas into an entire post that ultimately didn’t make it today’s final draft.
1. I have grown accustomed to writing on Writer, the Internet Typewriter.
Mostly it’s because of the live word count at the bottom, though the typewriter sound effects also enhance the enjoyability of writing. Every word I write makes me feel like I’m getting closer to reaching my goal for the day and being able to say “whether good or bad, I put in the targeted work.”
And maybe it’s because I haven’t yet figured out what 250 words looks like on the Notes app of my iPhone, or I’m missing the live word count at the bottom.
But ultimately, I realized how helpful it can be to be using your favorite tools and working where you get the most work done.
2. Without the timer, I feel lost.
The timer, like the live word count, also gives me a constant sense of progress. Aside from putting words to paper, I’m also sure that I’m at least putting in time. The timer has conditioned me to just focus on producing rather than judging and thinking.
At the very least, it tells me when I can say I’m done for the day because I’ve put in all the time I promised to put in.
3. A prompt and outline help give direction.
What question am I trying to answer?
What am I actually trying to say?
How am I trying to say it?
Those are the questions that should be thought about and answered with the bare essentials before any writing gets done. Because if you don’t, you’ll come back to those questions anyways when you get stuck or lost. That’s what happened to me. I ended up writing multiple paragraphs only to find myself wondering what it is I’m trying to say and what the best way to say it it would be.
From an entrepreneurial perspective, you think about market, customer, demand, want, need, and then prototype. Especially if you don’t already have something that people want to buy from you.
Today could be seen as a failure. None of my initial ideas worked. But I also asked what I could learn from my attempt and the above is what I’ve realized.
Could I still write without applying those lessons?
Yes. I’m sure I’ll write something. Even if it’s not my best work, I know I will need to commit to it.
But I know what I prefer and what leads to satisfaction if not my best work. And I now seek to work my best to create those circumstances.
