Editor’s Choice — Top 10: Writing Fast and Editing Slow Is the Best Way

Let’s have a look at our top 10 stories today

I dozed off every time I tried to watch the Stanley Kubrick movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. It took me months to finish it. What must have been mind-bogglingly science fiction in 1968 seemed mundane in 2019. I remembered a quote by playwright Noel Coward:

“Never fear or despise the public. Coax it, charm it, interest it, stimulate it, shock it now and then if you must, make it laugh, make it cry, but above all, never, never, never bore the hell out of it.”

Most of the new writers write slow. But they want to get the ordeal of editing over with — in less than thirty minutes. While editing, they look only for typos and grammar.

Make something happen in every sentence. Don’t keep your readers on tenterhooks. Quickly move from one idea to the next. But how can you maintain the tempo while you are writing fast?

Preparation is the key to write fast. In one of my articles I have written about ‘trying to write.’

Paula LaRocque teaches us the elements of good writing in her book, The Book of Writing: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Well. She suggests collecting all the information before you start writing.

You must have an exact focus, and you should get to your point quickly and stay there. A loose outline — or notes jotted down during a brainstorming session — can help you write fast first drafts. Story templates can help you define the beginning, middle, and end of your pieces to move to the next section. If you can’t remember something while writing, use a TK note and a self note to come back to it after you finish the first draft.

After you have written the first draft, Paula LaRocque emphasizes seeing it through three or four edits.

She wants you to read your work aloud. ‘Reading aloud forces us to listen, and listening locates the hitches — bumps on the road that make a rough ride,’ she says.

When Michelangelo received a new marble piece, he studied it until he saw a shape in it. Once he saw that shape, cutting away every not-required part was easy. Like Michelangelo, if you know what you are trying to say, you can start removing parts of the first draft you don’t need.

When writing fast, you are not allowed to check facts. You can not answer phone calls, respond to emails, or think about the dishes in the sink. Focus and write. Get it done.

The worst thing you can do to stop yourself from fast-writing is to edit during writing. Disable Grammarly while writing. Hit F11 on your laptop and go into distraction-free mode.

If you can’t think of the right word, use the next best one. If you forgot the name of the movie, book, or author, write ‘the book I read a year ago.’ Don’t pressure yourself about getting minor details correct at this stage.

But after you have something to edit, you can become a mechanic. Now you can find the right words, search for the names, look who was the first person to say a particular thing and whether the wording of your quotes is correct or not.

Take your time. Be creative about your editing. You are allowed to spend one hour to edit a one-minute read. That is how slow you should move during editing.

Trying to edit a five-minute read in ten minutes would end only in a disaster.

Here is the list of our writers who know how to achieve a high editorial standard:

10. How and Why I Started A Publishing Company

Bogdan Tiganov is a writer with over 20 years in the game. he enjoys writing poetry, fiction, satire, and personal articles.

He is a fine writer. His writing style is honest, informative, and pleasant. I hope you’d like his story.

Honest Publishing has been around since 2010, and it’s become relatively well known in the independent publishing circles. We were responsible for publishing The Vorrh, as recommended by Alan Moore and Iain Sinclair before it was subsequently sold the rights to Vintage. I even had a riotous conversation with a Hollywood producer about The Vorrh — but I’ll save that story for later.

9. What To Do When It Feels like You have Run Out of Writing Ideas

Yewande Adeleke is a lawyer, academic researcher, and a great writer. Her writing style is simple, elegant, and very engaging. If you decide to read this, you’ll never run out of new ideas. I am bookmarking this one.

While some writers can write just about anything that comes to mind, others have to think really hard before they can have ideas on what to write.

For me, it’s a bit of both. There are days when the ink flows non-stop. On other days, I do never-ending research and deep-thinking before making a choice on what to write.

8. Releasing your Exes

Vixen Lea says, “Woman, mom, teacher, writer, unicorn-lover, tree-hugger, magic-seeker, fox spirit, crier, human. Writing about life: my years of drinking and my awakening.”

She is a superb writer. Her writing style is to the point, honest, and charming. Don’t miss this one.

Unless you are one of those weirdos who married your high school sweetheart and lived happily ever after, we all have them: Exes.

And if you are anything like me, you may, in fact, have several. But, as we know, they are not all the same.

7. How To Become The Future-Self You Want To Be

Nikhil Dhawan is an entrepreneur, story-listener and teller, yogi, and an excellent writer. He is fascinated by the human body and mind — and human potential. He likes people.

His writing style is engaging, informative, and thought-provoking. You’ll love his other work too.

Let’s play a quick game. The purpose is to evaluate what your habits are today, what you want your identity to eventually be, and exploring what priorities you can change to get there. Try having a pen and paper handy for this game; although it’s not required, you’ll gain the most by writing your answers.

6. 3 Ways To Exercise Reflective Practice

Angela M Mohn is a registered nurse, entrepreneur, educator, and a Lover of knowledge, education, and music.

She is a good writer. Her writing style is honest, appealing, and thought provoking. Do check her other work.

“We don’t learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on the experience” — John Dewey

When reflecting on certain times in your life it is easy to see your mistakes and become very critical. Why did this happen? Why did that happen? Why didn’t I do this or that?

Yet, without the lessons, there is no growth or future opportunities.

5. Do You Like the Cozy Feeling of Waking Up and Cuddling Your Warm Blanket?

Julian Drach is a German law student with many ideas. Some are better than others, but you get to read them all.

He is a skilled writer. His writing style is simple, direct, and engaging. Do check his other work if you like this masterpiece.

With all its historical events, the last year has been intense for many people. For me, however, the lockdowns in Germany meant that I would be staying in the comfort of my home for a quite prolonged time. Without the need to drive to the university or my workplace, and no possibility to work out in the gym, I started to become complacent. As a result, bad habits crept back into my life, and the urge to achieve my goals rusted.

4. My 530 Square Feet Home is Not Enough for Me to Work From Home

Midori by the Sea is an inbetweener writing about intentional living, anxiety, loneliness, and sex-positivity. Lives in Brighton.

She is a superb writer. Her writing style is compelling, honest, and appealing. If you like this story, do check her other work.

I live alone in those typical shoebox new-built apartment blocks in London that’s character-less but functional. I have an open kitchen-living room, a well fitted out bathroom, and a massive bedroom.

I can fit a workspace anywhere, it’s not a problem.

My problem, which is shared with many people who have stressful jobs and live alone, is how our homes are now associated with two things and two things only — loneliness and stress.

3. Don’t You Dare Try And Take The Moral High Ground With Me

Malky McEwan wrote a funny memoir, people liked it so he wrote some more. Creator of Killer Stories on Medium — stories with a twist/humour.

He is an excellent writer. His writing style is honest, appealing, and to the point. Do check his other work.

I’ve been following the goings-on in America out of sheer morbid curiosity.

I’ve questioned Trump supporters about their views to get an insight into their thinking. It is good to get an opposing viewpoint and understand a rationale from another person’s perspective.

One question I asked a Trump supporter was:-

Q: Do you think President Trump was right to lie to you about COVID-19?

She replied: “He didn’t lie.”

2. SMART Goals Made Easy

Wendy Scott is a Brit living in Auckland. She is a learning and development professional who writes about leadership and personal development.

Her writing style is frank, honest, and highly engaging. She is in a writing mood these days. Don’t forget to check her other work.

It’s that time again. The goal setting for 2021 is raising its ugly head. You’ve barely had time to share your holiday pics on your phone and find out why Donna from Finance was let go, and your manager is talking KPI’s.

In my three decades of managing performance review processes, I’ve never met anyone that likes setting SMART goals. Not team members, not managers, not the MD.

1. How a Screaming Goat Perfectly Captured My 2020 Mood

At number one, it is Crystal Jackson. She is a former therapist. She is an accomplished writer and a wordsmith.

Her style is charming, easy to read, and extremely engaging. If you decide to read her story, you may like to check her other work as well.

Every time I see the meme that says 2020 is almost as bad as my first marriage, I laugh and laugh. I’ve been through tough times before, but I look at 2020 and think what the actual fuck was that?

I found it challenging on every level. Suddenly, I was thrust into homeschooling two active small children while working from home. My income took a hit as book signings and book festivals were canceled and platforms changed their pay scale without warning. I lost a close friend — not to the pandemic but to life changes. My long-distance relationship suddenly became a hell of a lot more complicated as travel restrictions reigned supreme. Spoiler alert: it did not survive.

This post is part of the Top 10 Series — you can meet almost 400 top writers with these links:

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Final Thoughts

If your story was selected in the Top 10, please share another one of your stories with a brief introduction and a short convincing review. (Please write the review in the third person and start it with your name.)

I must have missed something today. I cannot read every story on Illumination and Illumination-Curated. Dr Mehmet Yildiz, the Chief Editor and Founder of Illumination and Illumination-Curated, read, highlighted, and applauded every good story when he started his publications. He still reads almost all of the good ones. I try — and fail daily — to read all of the masterpieces.

Dr Mehmet Yildiz has kindly allotted the top 10 series a full shelf on the front page of Illumination-Curated:

If you find any mistake, typo, or other error, please leave a private note for correction. Thanks.

Happy New Year!

To be included as a top 10 writer, read these curation guidelines carefully.

You can read my curated stories here.