It’s been said there are no great writers, only great rewriters. It’s true that crafting a well-written piece happens after you’ve spilled your ideas onto paper, but writers and editors don’t work well together. Once you learn to separate the two, you’ll be able to drastically improve your writing output. The best part is, you can do it in one easy step.
I’m talking about free-writing.
What’s free-writing you ask? I’m not talking about pro bono work for a non-profit. No, free-writing means simply writing. No editing, no re-reading, just banging on the keyboard.
I cover my computer monitor and write. That’s it. That means turning off my inner editor, rolling with my mistakes and letting the ideas flow out. After I’m done, I let things marinate for a few hours, then come back and edit.
Covering or turning off your computer monitor is great way to get the creative juices flowing. The idea is to get a really strong stream of consciousness going. You’ll end up with oodles of ideas to work with, then it’s just a matter of laying everything out in a way that makes sense.
Free-writing forces me to make spelling mistakes and formatting errors while writing long, run-on sentences, but you know what? That’s okay. I’ve been writing most of my life and I’ve learned to trust my inner writer. He really gets going when I let him work alone. But to do that I have to give my inner editor the morning off.
That’s been the toughest thing for me as a writer. It seems every fiber in my body wants to procrastinate and put off actual work, but not my inner editor. He’s always on the clock. I’m not sure why. He hardly ever shows up after a few too many cocktails; then I’m on my own. But if I try to write so much as a grocery list he’s right there, ready to slow me down.
The goal of free-writing is to let your inner editor relax, grab a cup of coffee and take the morning off. The editor should only show up after the writer has done his (or her) job. You’ll be amazed how quickly you’re able to get words on paper when you’re not stopping every sentence to fix a spelling mistake or insert a missed comma.
Give it a try next time you need to get down to business and write. Turn off your monitor. It may take a few times to get used to it, but that’s part off the process. Your editor will kick and scream, but the technique really works. You’ll be amazed at how fast your word count climbs. I’ve nearly doubled my hourly output.
I’d love to know what you think. Can you turn off your inner editor? Give it a try and let me know how it goes.
