On What it Means to be a Writer
Posted on | September 24, 2009 | 5 Comments
Lots of people talk about what it takes to write. And what it takes when you feel “writer’s block.”
The definition of a writer is “one who writes”. That’s it. That’s all. That doesn’t take confidence. Or talent, whatever that means. Usually people make it too complicated.
We once heard of something that really helps: Do a “vomit draft” – the draft where everything gets down in all its messy glory on the page. (We also both write on our own and do the same thing there.) You can shape it, trim it, expand it and make it brilliant on the next few passes. AND you will be surprised how much good stuff just sort of happens in the vomit draft. Yes, it sounds like a real “guy” way to describe it, but we got the idea from a rather prim woman we studied under several years ago. Very funny hearing her say “vomit draft” all patrician-like.
It’s a great way to get out of the mind set of writer’s block, or any other kind of block that you’re using to not write. That’s all, as they say, in the head and not real, anyway. (Or, you could take Dorothy Parker’s words to heart, “I hate writing, I love having written”, and add an element of Law Of Attraction – visualize yourself having written!)
Now go out and throw up some some words!
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September 25th, 2009 @ 12:51 am
I like that concept. The funny thing about it was that after I got Geoff’s tweet about the new blog entry, I had planned to do some writing on two fronts: a list of what I want, which I planned to do in a “vomit” sort of way just to get it down and whittle at it until I have a plan for “what’s next”… and continuing to add to my memoirs, which involves beginning the second chapter (or 2nd section of the first chapter) and a very specific event wherein my brother “orders” me to go to therapy. I think now that I might make more progress on the memoirs if I write something, anything, every night.
September 25th, 2009 @ 1:06 am
Yup. Just write it down. If you have to, make it make sense later.
December 9th, 2009 @ 1:15 am
Such great advice. And the visual…just kidding!
You’re right on, though. Getting started and just writing “stuff” down so often leads to inspiration. Some of the best stuff I’ve ever written has been unplanned and came after I had a whole bunch of words on my screen to edit, correct, re-think, etc.
Thanks for your help, as always!
MS
December 14th, 2009 @ 12:50 am
I believe that a “vomit draft” is also known as stream of consciousness writing. It’s a great way to overcome writers block. The trick is to turn off your editor / self-censoring mode. Don’t worry about proper punctuation. In fact, embrace the run on sentence. Think of yourself ranting away verbally and capture it down on paper. Don’t go back and edit it until you have a page or two of material.
Another trick that works for technical writing is to cut and paste material from various reports into a vomit draft. Just drop the material in where you think it should go. Then, go back to the start are rewrite each sentence. Tighten the text as you go and identify gaps that need to be filled in. Have someone else go through it and do the same. After two or three back and forths you will have an original report that looks nothing like the intial text. However, don’t cheat the process and stop at the cut and paste or your soul shall burn in hell for plagerism.
December 14th, 2009 @ 12:59 am
Mike Shippy, somehow I missed your post here. Horrors! Thanks for the comment. I like it when you all agree with me.
Mike Callahan, welcome to the blog! And I never thought about it, but it would work for technical writing, also. The cut and paste (with your proviso, of course) also sounds very reasonable. Don’t think that would work for other types of writing, but it might!