This doesn’t have to be pretty, make sense, or go into detail yet — it just needs to be words on the page.
I’ve seen lots of people talk about the idea of “writing ugly” at a high level, but not many that spell out how to do it.
Want to know the secret to getting past the blank page when you sit down to write?
Here's how I've mastered it. THREAD!
This doesn’t have to be pretty, make sense, or go into detail yet — it just needs to be words on the page.
I’ve seen lots of people talk about the idea of “writing ugly” at a high level, but not many that spell out how to do it.
Before you try to get too in-depth, create a loose framework. It should look something like:
· Intro
· Background
· Specific Points/Ideas/Tips
· Conclusion
This allows you to visualize what you'll build upon. It’s your road map.
You’ll want to focus on the middle section of your outline first. Nail down the examples or points you want to walk through.
Include internal + external resources (and quotes!) for reference. Bullet points work well here.
Once you have the middle section complete, look at it as a whole to determine what kind of background information you need to share so the reader has relevant context.
This could be a fictional scenario, a story, a quote — something that provides a backdrop.
These two parts come last. They should be similar, but not identical. (Sisters, not twins.)
Your introduction welcomes the reader with a conversational tone, while the conclusion goes over what you explained and reminds him/her of the one main takeaway.
When your ugly first draft is complete, you can then go back in to polish things up and perfect your work — but not before then. Self-editing while you write is the enemy of completion.
As the idea rolls around in your mind, you might have new thoughts/ideas to add. Let it marinate.
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More from Writing
So a final thread from me as your host today: some top tips on how to write for a popular audience about complicated subjects #space #science #writing #storytelling
The essence of any good communication is simplicity. It’s the same in print, television, radio, online, or attaching notes to carrier pigeon’s legs.
In the sixties, a Granada current affairs show set the template for using a visual medium more effective: it was pioneered by a remarkable fellow called Tim Hewat, a flavour of whose personality is here:
Up to this point, most television in this country had been akin to putting radio on television: most of it was beyond parody though this from Harry Enfield is spot on -- the patronising smug tone that meant the BBC was nicknamed "Auntie" --
And take a look at the longest running TV show as it then appeared: https://t.co/T4FdppnQMo
(Patrick was a brilliant broadcaster. The point I am trying to make is the medium was not exactly groundbreaking in the visuals department)
The essence of any good communication is simplicity. It’s the same in print, television, radio, online, or attaching notes to carrier pigeon’s legs.
In the sixties, a Granada current affairs show set the template for using a visual medium more effective: it was pioneered by a remarkable fellow called Tim Hewat, a flavour of whose personality is here:
Up to this point, most television in this country had been akin to putting radio on television: most of it was beyond parody though this from Harry Enfield is spot on -- the patronising smug tone that meant the BBC was nicknamed "Auntie" --
And take a look at the longest running TV show as it then appeared: https://t.co/T4FdppnQMo
(Patrick was a brilliant broadcaster. The point I am trying to make is the medium was not exactly groundbreaking in the visuals department)
I can second this observation through personal experience. I was only able to start writing because "it's just dumb weeb fanfiction quests, who cares." 100,000 pages of dumb weeb fanfic later, and I actually got better... but only because I was trying my best with every page.
"It's dumb weeb fanfiction" gave me permission to be bad, to vomit things onto the page that I knew fell far short of what I wanted it to be. To just write and write instead of laboring over six paragraphs for weeks like I'd always done before.
But I still *wanted* to be good.
Writing is HARD. And unfortunately, most people don't appreciate just how hard writing (or communication in general) is, and that cultural attitude infects writers, too.
You must give yourself permission to be bad. And realize that all writing is practice.
IT. COUNTS.
And as the folks in my mentions are pointing
... it's an excellent way to find out what actually resonates with other people - putting work out there. Even your early bad stuff you'll cringe at later.
What resonates is NOT easy to tell, because we all, inherently cringe at ourselves, a lot.
I think the mistake a lot of people make is that they write to make a good work instead of writing to make themselves a better writer (who will eventually be able to make good works). The second promotes training and builds humility while the first is just narcissism.
— Dan Kim (@CloneManga) October 31, 2020
"It's dumb weeb fanfiction" gave me permission to be bad, to vomit things onto the page that I knew fell far short of what I wanted it to be. To just write and write instead of laboring over six paragraphs for weeks like I'd always done before.
But I still *wanted* to be good.
Writing is HARD. And unfortunately, most people don't appreciate just how hard writing (or communication in general) is, and that cultural attitude infects writers, too.
You must give yourself permission to be bad. And realize that all writing is practice.
IT. COUNTS.
And as the folks in my mentions are pointing
It gave us hellcow, so it clearly worked
— Argatson (@warhammer651) October 31, 2020
... it's an excellent way to find out what actually resonates with other people - putting work out there. Even your early bad stuff you'll cringe at later.
What resonates is NOT easy to tell, because we all, inherently cringe at ourselves, a lot.
\u201cDumb weeb X\u201d is a concept with a lot of power.
— J (@Becquerl1) October 31, 2020
