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Write Simply

Sunday, 2 February 2025

I’ll admit I’ve been struggling to build my writing habit over the last few weeks. I’ve realised that the issue has generally been three-fold:

  • Finding something interesting - for others - to write about in the first place;
  • I might get a glimpse of an idea, an unformed thought. I’ll add it to my Drafts folder without a great deal of context and invariably wonder where I was going with it (or that the idea is so vast or vague that it is hard to know where to start or how to structure it);
  • I’m focussing too much on making my writing ‘publish-worthy’ when, to be honest, I’m not much of a writer.

I’ve put a lot of effort into ensuring that the writing and publishing flow for my new site is technically as frictionless as possible - however it has mentally become a chore. What to do?

I’ve realised that at the end of the day I’m writing for me, not an imagined audience. I don’t want to force it - I’ve decided to just write and worry less about editing. If I get a big idea, I need to break it down into smaller chunks to make it more approachable. If I get a fragment of an idea, I just need to put it out there - there is nothing that stops me from coming back and building on it later.

I also want to be open to more opportunities for short form writing such as daily / weekly journaling.

By giving myself permission to be less-polished in my writing - writing simply - I’m hoping the perceived roadblocks will start to drop away and the whole process of writing will become easier.

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