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You don’t need a Delorean for time travel, just multiple drafts of your writing

I just arrived from yesterday and I’m pleased to see that this newsletter is in much better shape than it was moments ago. There may be a one-slip typo or goof but odds are that you’ll be pretty forgiving such that I won’t lose any subscribers 🤞.

Regardless, it’s far better than the messy hodgepodge of incorrectly spelled words, incomplete thoughts, run on sentences, and punctuation scattered about like loose Legos that I just came from. If I were deep into meta humor, I’d just send that out and call it a day since this week’s podcast is about using sloppy first drafts as a starting point for your writing. 🤔 … nah, better not. I’m sure there’s a downside that I’m overlooking. Besides, as that’s probably a one-time get-out-of-proofread free card, I better save that for when I’m really in a bind. Alright, with that I better head back to Thursday to clean up this issue and get it to reader-worthy shape. See you tomorrow (or today).

-John

Moving Forward

Episode 457: Writing and the art of the sloppy first draft

If writing a book is one of your big 2024 goals, then my best advice is to let your quirky side out in all its glory (and ugliness) in your first draft. Too often, we sit in front of that blank screen, stare at the blinking cursor; locked in indecision. With each keystroke, we scrutinize, go back, correct, rewrite, and overthink, desperately trying to find some mythic phraseology “aha moment” that mostly results in a constipated countenance.

Before you know it, an hour has passed and you’ve etched out one sterile sentence. If this sounds familiar, then you suffer from a bad habit that’s been reinforced for years at school, home, work, and everywhere else in between. It’s called “editing while you write” syndrome and it’s the biggest culprit that will prevent you from reaching the finish line and seeing your work published.

Let’s demystify what a first draft is. It’s not a final draft. I know that sounds obvious but our inclination is to treat it as such. We edit while we write because we’re so used to stomping out typos and grammar ticks as if they’re pesky insects. However, this can slow you down, to the point where writing becomes a chore. While it’s serviceable for short form pieces like emails or texts, when you finally get around to writing your first book, you’ll quickly discover this habit will kill your momentum faster than closing your laptop.

Instead, get into the mindframe of the sloppy first draft. And when I say sloppy, I mean so bad that it’s not something you’d ever consider letting anyone but yourself read. Unless you’re me and your weird brain contemplates sending out a sloppy first draft as a meta joke for a newsletter, that is.

Otherwise, your first draft is not meant to be polished, pristine, public or published so save the editing for later.

Learn more on this week’s episode, now playing on Spotify.

Moving Forward is also available on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, iHeart, CastBox, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Spotify for Podcasters (formerly Anchor), and Audible.

What else on this week’s episode:

• How editing while you write is the equivalent of “cleaning up your desk” to avoid the real work.

• How this habit can cramp your creativity and workflow.

• How efficient keyboard layouts are a curse for first drafts.

• How to break this habit through writing prompts and sprints.

Hacks

Use writing prompts to bring on the sloppy first draft

Breaking the editing while you write habit is tough. It’s something we’re so used to and in certain cases, such as the quick email or text, it’s a logical process. However, if you plan to do any long form writing this year, particularly your first book, then this habit will set yourself up for more heartache than an empty mailbox on Valentine’s Day.

One way to go “Yoda” and unlearn what you’ve learned is through writing exercises designed to get you into a sloppy frame of mind.

To that end, I recommend weekly writing prompts. The rules are simple. Set aside 20-to-30 minutes to write. You can use a timer or that beep-beep button on your microwave and simply write. It doesn’t matter what you write about so choose any topic. If you can’t decide, use a prompt to get you started. For my writing class, I assign a weekly writing prompt exercise, which are sentence fragments or scenarios. Before I forget, there’s one other important rule. You can’t use your delete or arrow keys during the writing period. In other words, no editing allowed.

Give it a try with the following writing prompt:

“The funniest thing happened to me recently …”

• Fill in the rest.

• Write for 20 to 30 minutes.

• No editing.

For more on this writing philosophy, check out this brilliant scene from Finding Forrester.

More hacks

Try a sprint if the writing prompt makes you want to “throw up”

Spending 20-to-30 minutes writing without editing is easier said than done, especially if that runs counter to a deeply ingrained habit. I’ve seen some students struggle with this to the point where they end up writing only a few sentences. This is normal. Writing without editing is the equivalent of “walking off a cramp” when running a mile for the first time in years. However, if you feel the writer’s equivalent of wanting to throw up or you actually want to throw up (in which case, go see a doctor), then try writing sprints to ease yourself into a first draft mindset.

Sprints are shorter versions of the prompt exercises but instead of 20-to-30 minutes, you spend no more than one minute on each with the same no editing rule.

Below are some sprint exercises:

• This morning, I …

• Last week, I remembered …

• The phrase “sticks in my craw” …

• Tomato or tomato …

• The holidays are …

• I never thought …

• My relationship with coffee …

With just one minute, you may not be able to finish a complete thought and that’s fine as the purpose of this is to increase your ability to write without overthinking. Simply write, then when the time’s up, move on to the next one.

If you want to learn more about the sloppy first draft technique when it comes to writing your first book, here’s another shameless plug for my upcoming writing course, which starts March 28th (in case you missed the dozen other links within this newsletter).

Quirky links on PBS nostalgia

Speaking of time travel

As I just celebrated another year on this planet, I’ve been on a real nostalgia kick lately, trying to recapture and relive parts of my childhood. If you were a kid of the 80s like I was, then PBS daytime programming was a big part of your youth. Beyond the mainstay staples like Sesame Street, Reading Rainbow, 3-2-1 Contact, and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, there were some really obscure yet oddly engaging programs that filled up my TV viewing hours. I even enjoyed some of the GED adult-learning ones for some odd reason with their fuzzy VHS lines and crude production values. Over the past few months, I’ve been rediscovering these programs on websites and YouTube, creating a PBS time capsule on my Notes app. See if you remember any of these.

• The Great Space Coaster: The “Kirkland” brand of Sesame Street.

• Read All About It: Kids solve mysteries using reading skills while racing against time and a scary alien head.

• The Bird Book: A dude narrates stories while drawing animals and not just birds.

• Slim Goodbody: The stuff of nightmares.

• Secret City: Think sci-fi Bob Ross for kids.

• The Write Channel: A grasshopper learns grammar from an English teacher because why not?

• Write Right (GED): What could have been an alternate title for this issue if they hadn’t thought of it first several decades ago (respect).

• Adult Math (GED): A show about adults learning math with a theme song that sounds like the more wholesome sibling to the Three’s Company tune.

• All About You: Nature, biology, and lots of hats.

• Newton’s Apple: Science taught by a guy named Ira Flatow.

I’ve managed to track down episodes or clips from almost every program that I can remember. But there’s one that remains a mystery, an itch that I can’t scratch. There was a show produced in the ‘60s or ‘70s that aired weekdays around 2 pm ET. It was a docu-series about different cultures from around the world. It was aimed at kids and I can’t for the life of me remember the title. I’ve scoured the web, looked up old newspaper TV listings from the 80s, and even contacted MPT, the PBS affiliate that I grew up with; all to no avail. The latter suggested it was probably Nat Geo but I don’t think they produced it. Anywho, if any of this rings a faint 🔔 and you happen to know the title, please send it my way. You will also be 👑-ed the ultimate niche-level quirk monarch.

Also, be sure to check out the Indiana University Bloomington Library archive, which has done a great job of preserving and cataloging many of these vintage PBS shows (except for the one I can’t find).

Upcoming

Don’t wait until “one day” to write your first book unless that day is March 28th.

Resources

Teach a man to fish, you know the rest (if you don’t, check these out).

• Book a coaching call with me on Clarity.

• Follow me on Goodreads for book recommendations.

• Check out one of my favorite daily newsletters Morning Brew (affiliate referral link).

Books

I wrote most of these so spruce up your home library and look smart in the process.

• The Poshmark Guide for Individuals and Small Businesses (Paperback, Kindle, Audible) 

• The Poshmark Guide for Individuals and Small Businesses (Apple audiobooks)

• The Poshmark Journal for Individuals and Small Businesses

• The Corporate Cliches Adult Coloring Book

• I Am a Professional Metalhead (audiobook) (Audible affiliate link) written by Angelo Spenillo, narrated by John Lim

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Affiliate disclosure

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