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BETTER THE NEXT DAY
Wednesday Apr. 25, 2018
Writing is like making chili; always better re-heated the next day …
Discussing writing and publishing process recently with a long time reader, explaining why I transitioned from ‘writing and publishing this column same day’ to ‘writing tomorrow’s column each morning’ and publishing what I’d writing/polished the day before …
This evolved somewhat inconsistently over time – when my schedule required an early flight, meeting or road-trip departure. And sometimes a technology/service provider glitch that wouldn’t let me load ‘today’s column’ at the time I wanted.
The other more significant reason was that I used to regret some columns for obvious reasons of hastily missed grammatical or spelling errors. But more often is was ‘I wish I’d said that differently, or more clearly, or more succinctly’. So, I admit that after 14 years of writing and publishing immediately after writing my columns I’ve shifted a gear. If you read it today I probably wrote it yesterday or the day before. I’ve polished it, read it, re-read it and stared at it again later the way a painter might look at a wall (or a painting) in a different light at a different time of day. I find I rarely alter the trajectory of the writing by I tend to re-think, and sometimes over-think, where I’m coming from as well as where I’m headed. Most of all, I find I change titles more often than anything.
When I review older writing I shudder a bit – clearly this process works better. Maybe the writer got better, not just the writing. And seeing better. Feeling better. Describing better.
Like Annie Lamott says, “first drafts are crap”.
Reader feedback:
THINGS WE PUT OFF
For me, Mark, it's taxes. It seems that every year I wait and wait and then blitz the task just prior to the final hour. That reminds me, I only have until next Monday! Perhaps it's a habit I picked up and reinforced doing term papers., Cheers, TL, Calgary, AB
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