7 steps to writing a newsletter or article with less stress and more fluidity
7 steps to writing a newsletter or article with less stress and more fluidity
I am very intimate with that icky feeling in my chest before I sit down to write.
I know I should write something. I know I need to pull up my big boy pants and take action so that more people are reminded of me and my brand and what I do and my online business doesn't turn to dust and float away.
This requires motion. It requires publishing.
The article I sent out a few days ago won't cut it.
Today's the day.
And nothing happens if I just have nice ideas.
I must follow through and write. But writing often comes with a side order of resistance.
Many years of this have shown me how to break down the entire process, from idea to pressing publish that hurts less.
Here's a process you can follow:
One.
Take a deep breath and honour the reality that you will drop all the other things you think you should be doing and just sit down to write.
Two.
Now that you're sitting or standing to write, you may or may not know what to write.
Either way, I want you to write something. Write whatever comes to mind and lean into the pleasant feeling of tapping keys or scribbling anything. Call this a breaking-in ceremony.
It's your signal to the Creative Muse that you are doing this, and your commitment is being honoured. Write anything that comes to mind for a couple of minutes. Or more.
Look what's happening. Your fingers dance across the keyboard. You can feel it in your forearms. You're really fucking doing it! You're no longer thinking about writing.
You are writing. Your identity is shifting before your very eyes.
You are a writer.
Having this identity as a real-life writer is doing more for you right now than you might think.
Three.
Next, take the idea you uncovered in the previous free-writing session or any strong idea you had collected from before.
Hold it in your mind for a moment like a wine connoisseur might suck air into a reservoir of red wine in their mouth.
Savour it.
Four.
Write out a rough outline of what you want to write.
You have the bones. This is optional.
Five.
Otherwise, just start writing.
Write like you're speaking to a good friend in a pub who needs to hear what you're telling them.
Except, you're not talking the words - you're writing them. Worry about editing later.
You're just conversing now on paper. See this as an exercise in being loose.
Don't worry about weird stuff that comes out. Just get words on a page that aligns roughly with how you'd speak through a problem to a solution with a good friend.
Get Zen with it. It's fun. Isn't it?
Six.
Now you've covered the main conflict and the problem and acknowledged the desire your reader might be having.
You've written through the solution or solutions and revealed one or two revelations about this problem.
You've thrown in some additional supporting research if needed and a quote or two if they fit.
Seven.
It's time to read over what you've written.
It's self-editing time, where you read this like you are the person you spoke to before, trying to make total sense of what's been said.
There's more room for the critical voice here, which should have been absent in all previous steps. See it from the reader's side now. Would this make sense to them if they were trying to overcome the problem you introduced?
Make it make sense! Cut any and all crap that doesn't add to this clear-cut clarity.
Is what you're saying in line with the one main message?
Ensure the article feels right, starting with a problem and ending with a solution. It should feel like a journey - the experience of transformation.
Looking at it through this lens, you will know how to best structure your work.
Run it through Grammarly or AI editing software for final touch-ups.
Sit back and admire your handiwork.
Well done!
Over time, you will want to focus increasingly on speed. It's okay if things move slowly to start. As you practice, you'll realise that aiming for speed isn't a cop-out but a tool for improving the writing.
More speed means less time to think intrusive and unnecessary thoughts that stall your magnificence.
I'm not one for patience, so I often publish soon after I finish writing. But you can wait a night. In fact, I'd encourage it.
Come back tomorrow, reread it, and see if it feels right. It doesn't need to be perfect, but it does need to feel like it can help the people who matter.
It's ready to publish.
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