Walk Away from Writing

Hello again writers and freelancers! Thanks for subscribing to this newsletter. This month, I want to share some of the best advice I've ever heeded in my writing career. Just walk away.

Walking away from my writing has brought me more success than any other strategy or tip I've tried in more than 16 years of professional writing. I want to encourage you, too, to simply walk away.

STOP Today and Walk Away from Your Writing

I'm not a patient man. I suppose at least some of that is due to being wired as a male, with 'conquer' in my DNA. Whenever I take on a project, I cannot pause, take a break, or quit until it is completed. That goes for anything. Including writing.

I'm proud of my skills as a writer. I can generally crank out a high-quality blog post for most clients in about 30-40 minutes. This is complete with an engaging title, SEO optimization, great information, a few reference links, and an engaging voice.

But something I was told long ago only recently began to gel in my mind; and I've since put it into practice. You've likely gotten good advice at one time that you ignored, or that just didn't make sense. But later - WHAM - the relevance of it hits like a ton of bricks.

Learning to Cook

After my wife and I struggled to defeat COVID-19, she suffered a terrible fall accident. With a severe concussion and damage to her knee, wrist, and ankle, she has required lots of care at home. That's where I come in.?

For years, we've enjoyed cooking together, and I absolutely love smoking meat, grilling, and cooking on my Blackstone griddle. But now that I'm not only the primary breadwinner, but the one who handles all the cooking, too, I'm really learning new skills.?

What does this have to do with writing? I'm glad you're still here to ask.?

Leave It Alone?

My worst failing as a cook is impatience. I'll stand and watch water boil, as if I can unconsciously will it to go faster. Of course, that doesn't work. My wife will frequently call from her chair in our living room, adjacent to the kitchen, "Set the temperature and a timer and leave it alone."?

Leave it alone...

That is the most difficult thing in the world for me. It's not finished yet. I need to keep doing something to help it along.?

This can be true in certain dishes and meal preparations, but too often, I kept fooling with the dish until I ruined it.?

• Too much seasoning
• Undercooked
• Too many ingredients

All because I felt I had to "keep fooling with it" until it was "done."?

Food is a unique thing, I've learned. Marinating meat overnight in different substances can add a tremendous flavor boost, and improve its tenderness. Slow simmering breaks down complex components of some foods for a better blend of ingredients, a better flavor, and a tender texture.

Something happens over time that I cannot force or manipulate. I must walk away and let that happen.

Walking Away from Writing?

I admit to using some marketing techniques with the title to this piece. Some of you may have glanced at the title in your email inbox and thought, "Holy sheep dip Batman! I never thought Mike would give up his writing career!

Now you realize what I mean by walking away.?

I just today published an article on Medium that has 10 tips for improving your writing skills. These are things I routinely share when writers and aspiring authors ask me for advice. Walking away is now one of them.

Let your ideas marinate for a while. Return and add something else, and then walk away again. Allow time for your writing to simmer. Something happens during that time that cannot be forced. No, your words do not magically change, but how you view them likely will.?

Simmering while cooking allows a mysterious transformation to occur. Letting your writing sit and simmer prompts you to transform your thinking, and how you express your ideas.?

Walking Away as a Practice?

All this just came together for me over the last several weeks. So, I've recently began allowing time for client work to "sit and simmer" where appropriate. Some work can be completed like before: 1,2,3 - done. But more nuanced writing now has a "wait" phase factored in.?

And I've already seen improvement. A client's manuscript was already edited, but allowed to sit for over a week. A re-read over the weekend revealed several ways it could be improved; things that only came as I reviewed it with fresh eyes and a new perspective. And that took time to develop.

Other, smaller pieces, after given even a few hours to simmer, were also improved - and the clients were extremely positive about the results.?

How About You??

What are you writing right now that could use some time to "sit and simmer" before you declare it ready to share? I challenge you to walk away for a while. Then go back and see how different it looks, and what new improvements you come up with.?

Michael Stover?