Writing is almost easy if you do this

Would you describe writing as difficult or easy? Do you think it depends on what you are writing? Or have you built a system to make writing easy?

Each writer approaches writing in a different way. Some work chronologically from start to finish. Others prefer to chop it into pieces that they would arrange once they finish. Yet others can take things one sentence after another.

The writing process

No matter what you do, it's important to understand how you write as it keeps you grounded while allowing you to stay creative. And while you might not realise it, there is a natural order to the process of writing. It is this order that helps take a half-formed idea and make it a polished final draft.

The 3 stages of writing

The writing process is broadly divided into 3:

1. Prewriting.
2. Drafting.
3. Post-writing.

I'll take you on a step-by-step tour through the writing process. The key is to keep what works for you per time and shelf the rest until such a time when you'd need them.

1. Prewriting

"My working habits are simple: long periods of thinking, short periods of writing." — Ernest Hemingway

As the term implies, prewriting covers everything you do BEFORE you start writing your first draft. Don't be in a hurry to write, you might find out that you don't have a lot to say.

Before you ever start to write your first draft, take some time to gather your thoughts and ideas. This can be anything from brainstorming and interviewing to researching (e.g. keyword research) and outlining. Whichever you choose, make sure it helps you stay focused and organized.

At first, this might seem like an elaborate waste of time. But I assure you, it's easily the most productive use of time in the writing process.

2. Drafting

“Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can do anything really good.” — William Faulkner

Once you are done with prewriting, and have a clear idea of what to say (and how), it’s time to go ahead and say it. Produce your first draft.

Don't worry about making it perfect right away. Avoid editing as you write. Just focus on getting your thoughts, ideas, research, etc. down on paper. If you wrote an outline, it's time to follow through. Let the words flow. You can try these tips if you are struggling with writer's block.

The first draft is usually the hardest (editors will disagree, but we said what we said ??).

So keep going until you've said everything the piece needs you to say. Once you have your complete first draft in front of you, you’ll get a pretty clear idea of what you need to improve.

Then, it would be time to move into post-writing, which is the third and final stage of the writing process.

3. Post-writing

“I probably end up tossing out a quarter of what I write in the first draft...Even though I try to be pretty thoughtful about figuring out what I want to say before I write, you still have to see how concepts play on page to decide if they deserve to stay.”?— Cal Newport

Now that you have your first draft, it's time to evaluate, edit, and proofread your work.

First, evaluate—redraft (substantially adding or removing content) + revise (changing content structure and reformulating arguments)—your work.

Here, you want to focus on the bigger concerns like reordering content, adjusting arguments to be more logical, expatiating on critical information, and cutting off irrelevant passages (murder your darlings). Starting with larger issues saves you time because you don't want to waste time perfecting the punctuations on a paragraph you'll end up removing anyway.

Next, edit and proofread the work you redrafted. Some people might argue that editing and proofreading are the same, but they would be wrong.

Editing deals with such concerns as clarity and structure, while proofreading?focuses on typos and stylistic consistency. Small difference, but still different.

While editing, you want to ensure the clearness, concision, and grammatical correctness of your work. Be on the lookout for:

• Unclear phrases.
• Unnecessary repetitions.
• Grammatical errors.

When proofreading, on the other hand, you should look out for common typos like:

• Punctuation errors.
• Spelling mistakes.
• Missing words.
• Incorrect word choice.
• Excess or missing spaces.

Also, proofread for stylistic consistency. For example, choosing between?American or British?English, using?numerals or words?for numbers, capitalising your titles and headings, etc.

You can take advantage of your word processor’s built-in spell check and software like Grammarly.

Many writers like to edit and proofread pari pasu. Others prefer to take them one after the other. As a new writer, it would help to go gradually and switch things up as you become more experienced.

NOTE: Leave your work alone for at least 24 hours after finishing your first draft. This allows you to look at it with fresh eyes and help you spot things you would have otherwise missed.

There you have it. Go through the writing process (prewriting, drafting, and post-writing) and you'll find that writing can be easier. The more you do it, the better you get. Of course, there will be challenges along the way. But they will all be worth it.

Until next Tuesday, stay safe. Keep writing!

Love, Osamu.

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Osamu Ekhator is a?Freelance Content Strategist. For the last 8 years, he has worked with individuals, small businesses, and companies in several industries all over the world to create content that improves engagement and sales.

Contact him now for collaboration and consultation!