Live notes from tonight's Write of Passage class with @david_perell and @will_mannon
How to overcome writer's block
Covering:
- Impostor syndrome
- Perfectionism
- Lack of time
- Crickets of indifference
How to overcome writer's block
Covering:
- Impostor syndrome
- Perfectionism
- Lack of time
- Crickets of indifference
>> Writing research
Research is what you do when you are living your life.
Write about things you've been researching all along.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said the job of the writer is to deal out "life passed through the fire of thought." (h/t) @aaronscottwhite
Research is what you do when you are living your life.
Write about things you've been researching all along.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said the job of the writer is to deal out "life passed through the fire of thought." (h/t) @aaronscottwhite
>> Avoid unforced errors
- Not being consistent
- Writing without total focus
- Using cliches
- Run-on sentences
- Trying to sound smart instead of writing for clarity
- Not finding your shiny dimes
- Writing about bland topics
- Buzzword bingo
- Not being consistent
- Writing without total focus
- Using cliches
- Run-on sentences
- Trying to sound smart instead of writing for clarity
- Not finding your shiny dimes
- Writing about bland topics
- Buzzword bingo
>> Use a Writing One-Sheet
- 5 personal writing tips
- 5 personal style tips
- state of mind
- who do you write for?
- describe your environment
- how often do you write?
- publishing cadence
- editing process
- your reward for writing
- 5 personal writing tips
- 5 personal style tips
- state of mind
- who do you write for?
- describe your environment
- how often do you write?
- publishing cadence
- editing process
- your reward for writing
>> Where We Get Stuck
Making publishing a consistent habit is the main challenge.
"The most important thing about art is to work. Nothing else matters except sitting down every day and working" - Steven Pressfield
Making publishing a consistent habit is the main challenge.
"The most important thing about art is to work. Nothing else matters except sitting down every day and working" - Steven Pressfield
>> Writer's Block
Cure this by building an arsenal of ideas during your day
Compress all these ideas into an article
You already have good ideas, you just need a system for capturing them
"Write everything down" - David Sedaris
Cure this by building an arsenal of ideas during your day
Compress all these ideas into an article
You already have good ideas, you just need a system for capturing them
"Write everything down" - David Sedaris
Taking notes is the closest thing we have to time travel
Note-taking is a rebellion against the entropy of memory
As you add notes linearly, the connections between them increase exponentially
Information abundance is the cure to writer's block
Note-taking is a rebellion against the entropy of memory
As you add notes linearly, the connections between them increase exponentially
Information abundance is the cure to writer's block
>> Imposter Syndrome
This is a new age word for fear
Accept that you're going to have to deal with fear when you write
Clarity comes through action - keep writing
Motion > direction
This is a new age word for fear
Accept that you're going to have to deal with fear when you write
Clarity comes through action - keep writing
Motion > direction
Flip the fear into massive momentum/energy
What you need is courage
Courage is not the absence of fear, it's the ability to take action in the face of fear
Be vulnerable. The world will cheer for your best self. Your true self
What you need is courage
Courage is not the absence of fear, it's the ability to take action in the face of fear
Be vulnerable. The world will cheer for your best self. Your true self
How you talk to yourself is the real bottleneck
What you write and how it resonates depends on who reads it
Everyone is at different stages of their journey and sometimes its easier to learn from someone only one step ahead of you
Don’t be afraid to only be one step ahead
Everyone is at different stages of their journey and sometimes its easier to learn from someone only one step ahead of you
Don’t be afraid to only be one step ahead
>> Perfectionism
You can't take meaningful action by suffering from being perfect
Write what you're interested in, and *publish consistently*
You can't take meaningful action by suffering from being perfect
Write what you're interested in, and *publish consistently*
