Thread by @PennyEMN

#WritingLife, #WritingAdvice Taking a moment to remind everyone that there are lots of *different* kinds of writing and they all "count" if they move forward your project. You don't always have to try to "write a bad first draft" to get started. You can . . .

If you're really stuck, make a bullet-point list of every single point you'd like to make, go get some lunch, and come back and organize those into "clumps" of things that "seem to go together" and then spend some time figuring out why. You can . . .

Write memos on the key concepts you will be using in your draft. I got lots of push back on one concept when I sent out grant proposals -- so I now have a 4-page single-spaced memo on what I mean when I use that term. In a draft, that will be 3-4 good sentences. You can . . .

Take notes as ideas occur to you. I have a notes file for the paper I'm working on now that consists of several entries made at my computer but also several emails I sent to myself using voice recognition on my phone when I was out doing other stuff. You can . .

WRITE AN OUTLINE. This can take a few days. It's worth it. Start w/the big sections. Then fill in smaller points, reviewing your notes/concept memos/earlier proposals. Once you've done the prep work then . . .

Write your rough draft. Not a "shitty" first draft -- why would you talk to yourself that way? It's *supposed to be rough*. Get it done, then take a break -- rest, think about something else. When you come back to it, start making it better, a section at a time. I.e. . . .

Anything substantial - a paper for publication, a book chapter, a book, a grant proposal - takes time, and the final product is the culmination of your process and your craft, which should include multiple kinds of writing, whicih all "count." Finally . . .

Some things are easier and you can skip steps -- a paper where that's a follow-up to earlier work, where you know what you want the setup to be when you start. And that's fine, too. Take it! Finish early and go for a walk.

As with many tweets, this series began with me sitting down at my computer for a "writing day." So, off to outline I go. Have fun today, Twitter peeps, whatever else you do.