Go with the flow

There has been a flurry of new subscribers so I thought I should dust off my virtual pen and write a new blog. And what better than a story of when I didn't take my own writing advice.

I recently onboarded to a new product area, and I wanted to get my thoughts down. So I started writing. I wrote about the things I knew about the product area and the questions I had. As I learned more, I wrote more. I kept adding to the document over the next few weeks. Documenting my findings, questions I had, comments from readers. My document has 4,554 words now.

And guess what? It makes no sense.

I read it back and there are unfinished sentences that I have no idea how to finish - what was I thinking? It doesn't have a flow or a sense of purpose.

You may think that this is a waste of time, but for me, writing all this has served a purpose for me. Will I share it? Not broadly! But with a few select folks it has helped them understand where my research is taking me. Most surprisingly, one of the readers actually said it was helpful! (He did add a comparison to PowerPoint slides, but I'll take the win!)

Now let's bring this back to the title of this blog.

This document was my brain dump. It isn't the finished article. What this initial brain dump has helped me frame is the problem, my research, and helped shape my plan. This initial document is my raw thinking, and I am now able to really shape the paper I need to write.

When you get to this stage you are in a good place; but this is my one tip to get the most from that writing time.

Write your first draft in a single sitting.

This may sound idealistic and a little bonkers but trust me. If you want to get the best first draft, avoid interruptions. This will help your writing flow and help you (and your reader). Why? Well, you will be consistent in the way you write and the language you use.

Don't believe me? Start writing something and walk away for 5-10 minutes. Leave your writing mid-sentence and mid paragraph. Now when you come back continue writing. What you'll find is that the words you use will be different, or worse you won't remember what you were writing about! I often find when I'm interrupted, I sound like a completely different writer. That's why I try and create the flow as much as I can for that first draft. That way, when I come to review and edit the document has a flow, it has structure, and it isn't jarring to read.

It brings clarity, and who doesn't love that?

If you have enjoyed reading this, donate $5 to Doc Bar Raiser to fuel future articles.