Writing

One Tip Successful Writers Use — and How You Can, Too

Take Roald Dahl’s advice and never miss out on a good idea again

If there’s one thing I miss that I like blaming social media and the Internet for robbing me of, it’s reading. I’m still working on my perpetually expanding reading list, but it’s a constant work in progress. A part of me yearns for the days before the advent of smartphones when ignorance was bliss and my attention span wasn’t destroyed from years of consuming listicles and clickbait. Maybe Tik-Tok too.

Growing up, I read fiction avidly. I got hooked early on after my sister introduced me to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. One of my favorite authors as a kid was Roald Dahl. He truly had a way with words; he drew me in with his unique writing style combined with his absurdly creative imagination and his sharp wit.

When I came across this autobiographical short story called Lucky Break as I was reading The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More, it stuck out in my mind for some reason. Probably because it was so different from much of Dahl’s other work. In it, Dahl talks about how he became a writer.

If you’ve ever tried writing creatively, you know the process is different than writing a technical piece. Ideas strike sporadically, and the writing is more stream of consciousness in nature. Sometimes an idea will come to you when you’re taking a shower or brushing your teeth. You might think to yourself, “This is a good idea!”, but when you sit down later to write, you can’t remember what you thought of earlier.

Dahl writes how he would address this issue in Lucky Break:

So when an idea for a story comes popping into my mind, I rush for a pencil, a crayon, a lipstick, anything that will write, and scribble a few words that will later remind me of the idea. Often one word is enough. I was once driving alone on a country road and an idea came for a story about someone getting stuck in an elevator between floors in an empty house. I had nothing to write with in the car. So I stopped and got out. The back of the car was covered in dust. With one finger I wrote in the dust a single word ELEVATOR. That was enough.

The mind is an enigma. We still don’t understand much about how our brains work, but this story stayed burned in my mind. Now, we have Notes and apps on our phones to jot down ideas as they come to us. Use it.

Often, the hardest part about writing is coming up with an idea. Once you have a good topic for an article, it’s all downhill from there. Use this tip from Dahl to take advantage of all your good ideas, no matter when they may strike next. I do, and it’s given me the tools to help take my writing to the next level. Let your mind work for you, not against you.

Learned something from this article? Drop a comment below and follow me! I’m a medical student interested in writing about personal growth, healthcare, productivity, science, and more. I love connecting with other writers on Medium.