I went from having a cluttered mind to clearly articulating opinions after I started writing weekly WIBTALs. Over time, I've developed a 3-step writing method that I wish I'd known when I began. This is my process:
1. Capture
Ideas are like butterflies: they appear unexpectedly and can vanish just as quickly. You need a practice for capturing them when they appear.
I carry a small pocket journal for ideas everywhere I go. This minimizes the time between conception and recording and avoids the distractions of a phone. The notes I jot down are often incoherent to others, but I know what they mean.
People try to skip this step and go straight to expansion. This leads to feeling like you don't have ideas because you can't spawn them on demand. If you're dealing with writer's block, you may just need a better process for capturing ideas during the times when you're not trying to write.
2. Expand
Captured ideas are often too loose to be shared openly, but the good ones contain kernels of truth. Expansion is needed to tease out that truth.
I write in a larger journal for this phase without judgment or restraint, allowing my thoughts to flow freely. This unstructured approach often leads to pages of writing that never see publication, but it's essential for mapping out all of my thoughts on a subject.
People try too hard to make their expansion perfect from the start. They aim for correctness and coherence, fearing the ugliness of a first draft. This pressure stifles momentum. Often, you just need to start writing to find the good stuff.
3. Prune
Expansion is messy, so it needs to be trimmed and compressed into a clear message. It's like pruning a tree: you remove the unnecessary branches so the strongest ones can flourish.
I transfer my draft to my computer for efficient editing. I critically evaluate every word and sentence: Is this necessary? Does it strengthen the core message? Can it be said more simply? I delete everything I can.
People don't prune enough. In school, we were trained to meet word counts and use extensive vocabulary. In the real world, the opposite is better.
