I didn't actually read this advice anywhere, it's just something I've developed over the last couple years in regards to writing. Jokes, stories, whatever I'm working on, I find the method that works best for me is to treat it like I'm working on like a jigsaw puzzle.
When you build a puzzle (does anyone still do that?), you pour the box out on the table in front of you, and then start organizing it. That's I like to do that with writing. I don't stop every 5 minutes to look at what I've done and review it, I just keep going until I have it all out there. Get all my thoughts in front of me, and then I'll come back to it and start looking for the good stuff. Like looking for the border of a jigsaw puzzle.
I've found it to be my preferred writing strategy for a few reasons. First and foremost, it helps me avoid writer's block. It's been said that "writer's block is just a made up excuse for people to not do their work." I'm not sure I fully agree with that, but I do find that if you just force yourself to break through it and start writing, the feeling often fades. Just keep the pen moving; anything that comes to mind, write it down. When I sit down to write, my objective is to fill the page, and I try not to stop until the alarm on my phone goes off. Don't review it, don't read it back, just get everything that's in my mind onto the paper.
Then I take a break and try to do something active. I go for a quick run or walk my dog, and come back to what I wrote with a clear head. Read over it, and see if there's anything there worth keeping. And a lot of the time, there isn't. But I don't beat myself up over that anymore. Part of writing jokes is the thrill of the hunt. The days I do come up with something good make the days I wasted time writing garbage completely worthwhile. And as a bonus, I find that if I write earlier in the day, the thought is jogging through my mind for the afternoon. Sometimes an idea will just pop into my head hours after I finish writing. If this happens, WRITE IT DOWNNNNN!!!! Way too many times, I've banked on remembering something, and then it disappears forever. Just play it safe, and write everything down.
I've mentioned it on here a couple times, but I'm also attempting to write a book for the first time. I'm finding it overwhelming, but I'm trying to stick with it. And just like when I work on my jokes, I just write. I don't go back and read what I've wrote, I just force myself to keep going. My mentality right now is to just finish a draft of the book. Then (hopefully) I can use it like the picture from the box for my jigsaw puzzle, and work from there. I have something concrete to play with.
Just write. Even these God awful blogs. A lot of the time (today included), I just "puke" all of my thoughts out onto my computer, and then go back and try to make sense of them. It keeps me from getting overwhelmed or frustrated, and it helps to just get ideas down while they're fresh. You can always go back and delete the crappy stuff. (I do A LOT of deleting).
Anyways, that's my writing strategy, for the none of you that asked.
Thanks for reading! Enjoy your weekend!
Adam
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