Write Something Bad
Lesson from "Reframe Your Brain" by Scott Adams
The worst part of writing is sitting in front of a blank screen.
You have your story idea swirling inside your head, but the task of translating it into a coherent sentence is daunting.
Let’s reframe this process with a teaching I came across recently:
The only bad writing is no writing at all.
Everything else is either good or under-edited.
This is a quote from Scott Adams’ new book Reframe Your Brain. The book technically falls under the category of self-help, but it includes a fantastic section on writing that we will explore.
Adams provides a new mental model that reframes how we think about writing.
Usual Frame: I can’t think of anything good to write.
Reframe: I can write something bad and fix it.
As writers, we are often chained by our egos and left sitting in front of a blank screen, waiting for inspiration to finally strike and allow us to write a perfect sentence.
Instead of focusing on perfection, we should focus on writing something.
Anything!
Even if it’s terrible!
Because once we have something written, we’re able to edit it.
As Adams points out: “Editing is easier than writing, so putting something on a page moves you to an easier phase of work.”
Embracing writing badly is why I recommend writing in a notebook for your first draft. Sure, it takes longer, but it allows you to scribble wildly on the page and frees you from the blank screen of a word processor.
Once you’ve written something “bad,” you’re free to move on to the editing phase.
Just. Write. Something.
Once you’re ready to edit, Scott Adams also provides guidelines for crafting a good sentence:
Is It a Direct Sentence?
It is better to say the boy hit the ball than the ball was hit by the boy. Brains process direct sentences faster. Tell me who is doing the thing before telling me the thing.
Too Many Adjectives?
Don’t say it was very hot. Say it was hot. Neither sentence is specific, but one uses too many words. Brains like fewer words.
Nuke the Adverbs
There might never be a right time to use an adverb.
What are your thoughts on the idea of writing something bad? Let me know in the comments below, I’d love to discuss 👇
Hopefully, this mental reframe frees you from sitting in front of a blank screen. Forget about perfection and commit to writing badly. You can always edit your sentences.
Remember, nobody can read your story if it hasn’t been written.
This was a lesson from “Reframe Your Brain” by Scott Adams.
If you want to pick up your own copy of the book, click here.
Or explore the “C.S.M. Fiction” archive.
