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Abstract

and step back, ask yourself: Is this working?</p><h1 id="9cd4">Here’s a secret: The writing process is an experiment</h1><p id="6653">Here are the steps I follow to improve my writing.</p><h2 id="2f1b">Choose two variables</h2><ul><li>An output variable is something to measure; word count or time are two easy ones for a writer to choose.</li><li>An input variable might be: the time of day, where you write, your rituals, music, sounds, quiet</li><li>What you are writing might affect the variable you choose. A final edit variable might be time rather than word count.</li></ul><h2 id="5410">Collect information</h2><ul><li>Track the variables objectively</li><li>Collect the data for at least 10 days to see a pattern</li><li>Use a checklist or a spreadsheet. Google Docs is a great tool</li></ul><h2 id="1f3f">Set a tripwire</h2><ul><li>Find a trigger or signal to start looking at the data</li><li>You need to step back, check-in, and consider what you’re doing</li><li>Don’t get locked into the wrong practice for your writing</li><li>Set a deadline</li></ul><h2 id="c3cb">Analyze the results</h2><ul><li>Look at the data</li><li>Ask what's working</li><li>What can you change to make things work better</li><li>What should you stop doing</li></ul><h2 id="1562">Learn from your experiment</h2><ul><li>Decide what to do next</li><li>If it’s working, tweak it</li><li>Pivot or set a new (small) goal</li></ul><p id="c8c9" type="7">Set goals that aren’t too huge, or you may get discouraged</p><h2 id="64bd">Here’s a goal-s

Options

etting example:</h2><p id="166b">Let’s say you want to publish a book.</p><p id="807f">Break it down into bite-size pieces.</p><ul><li>First, you need to write a draft.</li><li>Decide how many words you will write and how much time you have to get the work done.</li><li>If you want to write 10,000 words in three months, how many words per day does that work out to be?</li><li>10,000 divided by 90 days is 111 words per day.</li></ul><p id="c7a8">That’s doable. If you commit to writing 111 words daily, you’ll have a 10,000-word draft at the end of three months.</p><p id="c329">At the end of three months, you can set the next goal: "<b>edit 500 words daily”</b>. That’s a lot more actionable than <b>“write a book.”</b></p><p id="8ec4">There are more articles like this one in my free newsletter. It’s a 3-minute read that informs and inspires.</p><div id="e098" class="link-block"> <a href="https://wordsinmotion.substack.com/p/bewitched-bothered-and-bewildered"> <div> <div> <h2>I’m In a State of Perplexium</h2> <div><h3>Hi, it’s Tree Langdon from Medium and Linked In. As promised, here’s A New Word, An Idea, and A Question. </h3></div> <div><p>wordsinmotion.substack.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*pEvxjXAEYt80Lh-_)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

How to Feed Your Writing Mind

Use iteration to create experiments

Committing to your writing practice can be difficult.

Writing is imperfect. It takes time and a willingness to be humble in the face of shitty first (and second) drafts.

Samuel Beckett put it like this:

Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.

If you keep trying again, each iteration builds on the last ones. Incremental changes move you forward.

iteration n.: version or incarnation

//the latest iteration of the operating system

iteration v.: the action or a process of repeating

My current goal is to fail a little less each time I write.

Improving your craft is a process, not a single step. Each time you put something out and step back, ask yourself: Is this working?

Here’s a secret: The writing process is an experiment

Here are the steps I follow to improve my writing.

Choose two variables

An output variable is something to measure; word count or time are two easy ones for a writer to choose.
An input variable might be: the time of day, where you write, your rituals, music, sounds, quiet
What you are writing might affect the variable you choose. A final edit variable might be time rather than word count.

Collect information

Track the variables objectively
Collect the data for at least 10 days to see a pattern
Use a checklist or a spreadsheet. Google Docs is a great tool

Set a tripwire

Find a trigger or signal to start looking at the data
You need to step back, check-in, and consider what you’re doing
Don’t get locked into the wrong practice for your writing
Set a deadline

Analyze the results

Look at the data
Ask what's working
What can you change to make things work better
What should you stop doing

Learn from your experiment

Decide what to do next
If it’s working, tweak it
Pivot or set a new (small) goal

Set goals that aren’t too huge, or you may get discouraged

Here’s a goal-setting example:

Let’s say you want to publish a book.

Break it down into bite-size pieces.

First, you need to write a draft.
Decide how many words you will write and how much time you have to get the work done.
If you want to write 10,000 words in three months, how many words per day does that work out to be?
10,000 divided by 90 days is 111 words per day.

That’s doable. If you commit to writing 111 words daily, you’ll have a 10,000-word draft at the end of three months.

At the end of three months, you can set the next goal: "edit 500 words daily”. That’s a lot more actionable than “write a book.”

There are more articles like this one in my free newsletter. It’s a 3-minute read that informs and inspires.

I’m In a State of Perplexium

Hi, it’s Tree Langdon from Medium and Linked In. As promised, here’s A New Word, An Idea, and A Question.

wordsinmotion.substack.com