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Effective writing for
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This article appeared in the Spring 2001 edition of Short Words, the newsletter of Tim Albert Training. It was written by Tim Albert.

Pain or writing gain?

Suffering is part of the process. Enjoy.

One of the most common things people say at the start of a course is that they want to take the pain - or the boredom - out of writing.

I can only give them bad news. Writing, like almost anything else, needs effort if is to be well done. So I can't solve that one.

What I can offer, however, are some tips for making the pain more useful, so that writing becomes tolerable and more effective.

1. Don't write too soon.
Many people rush to their pen or word processor, and set out on their writing journey without knowing where they are headed. This will almost certainly cause all kinds of problems as they use draft after draft to put their thoughts in order.

The secret is to get your thinking done first. Write down, on the back of an envelope or its electronic equivalent, exactly what you are trying to say (preferably in one sentence, with a verb), to whom, and why.

You will not need to block aside large amounts of time to do this: think in odd moments, like going to work or making the coffee. Don't worry if it takes time; this is the hardest part.

2. Don't put aside large amounts of time to write.
Writing is a risk-taking activity, so the more time you make available, the worse the worrying can be. The answer is simple: as soon as you are ready, start writing. Set aside 10 -15 minutes: don't go back, don't give up, and don't cross out.

You will almost certainly feel that you could have done better, but two important things will have happened. The first draft will now be written and (since you wrote it in one go) it will almost certainly have an easy-to-follow structure.

3. Don't fiddle uncontrollably with your drafts.
Now comes the hard work as you go through your first draft and make it fit for human consumption. Again, it is tempting to start fiddling too soon. But there is a way of approaching this systematically.

Print out your draft and, without getting involved in the detail, check whether you are still saying what you want to say, and that it is still right for your target audience.

Then look at the structure: do you use each paragraph to take a logical step forward, and does each paragraph start with a strong, clear sentence? Then go through looking for mistakes of spelling and grammar (the computer will help you).

Now you can work on improving the style.

4. Don't get it out of perspective.
There is more to life than writing. If you produce what you set out to produce, within the time limits you set yourself, then it is a job well done. After all, while writing can be terribly painful, having written is one of life's great joys.

How experts view the writing process

'Get up very early and get going at once, in fact work first and wash afterwards' - WH Auden
'You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club' - Jack London
'Keep it simple. Be clear. Think of your reader, not yourself. Cheer up' - Roger Angell
'Read over your compositions, and when you meet a passage which you think is particularly fine, strike it out' - Samuel Johnson
You will never be satisfied with what you do' - Fay Weldon

From: Advice to writers, Jon Winokur (ed), London: Pavilion Books, 2000