When I started this challenge I was focused on volume.
I just needed to write some stuff and publish it.
Writing each day has definitely helped me to get faster and also to have more and more ideas.
Each post sparks off more ideas for topics to write about. Any conversation about that topic will throw something else into the mix.
The panic of not knowing what to write about has subsided. This, combined with being able to get stuff out of the door quicker has meant I’ve had more time. Particularly time to have posts pre-written, queued up in advance.
This has proven to be the most fundamental change so far.
I’ve had time to edit. To focus more on the quality of my writing.
I don’t mean the quality of the subject matter, well OK, I do a bit, but also how it hangs together. The structure, grammar and all that hard stuff.
The main thing I’ve learned is that less is more. Redundancy is bad, bloat should be removed.
I had a particular tendency to prepend any of my opinions with “I think”, or “I believe”.
Well evidently I think, as it’s me doing the writing! It belied a lack of confidence and added more text for you to read.
The second thing I’ve learned is that adverbs and other leading modifiers are really unnecessary.
That is to say: The second thing I’ve learned is that adverbs or other leading modifiers are really unnecessary.
I’m half tempted to go back through all my posts and re-edit, but I’m not comfortable with that. I may recycle some after this challenge is over, though.
I’ve still a long way to go but I’ve definitely seen a marked improvement and that’s really heartening.
Word count: 284.
Time taken: about 45 minutes in a lunch break
This post is one of 30 I wrote daily during April 2016 as part of the 30 Day Writing Challenge.
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