Comments on: What canoeing taught me about writing

By: Daphne Gray-Grant

Daphne Gray-Grant — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 22:12:00 +0000

In reply to petruta.

I do try not to be TOO firm because I know many people find that intimidating. But “following rules” is a good way to remove the constant pain of having to make decisions. If you ask yourself “do I really feel like writing today?” you’re less likely to succeed than if you simply decide you’re going to write every day…

By: petruta

petruta — Wed, 17 Aug 2016 23:11:00 +0000

Reading this reminds me that good mentors give us a part of their attitude. “There
was no way she was going to let anyone under her watch develop sloppy
canoeing techniques.” That firmness might be what brings me back to
this blog. I changed several rules (such as starting with an outline or
not; writing every day or not). But to constantly seek effective rules
and to have the discipline to follow them is perhaps more important. And
that requires mentors, colleagues and friends. It requires their
knowledge, and more importantly their attitude; “their run helps my run”. So my rule for easier
writing is to seek support; for ideas but mainly for a stimulating
environment.

By: Daphne Gray-Grant

Daphne Gray-Grant — Wed, 17 Aug 2016 22:27:00 +0000

In reply to Daniela. If you are spending more time editing than writing you are approaching the task VERY wisely! Congrats on figuring out this system.

By: Daphne Gray-Grant

Daphne Gray-Grant — Wed, 17 Aug 2016 22:20:00 +0000

In reply to william stoner. Yes, I think you've found the perfect analogy!

By: Patricia

Patricia — Wed, 17 Aug 2016 20:35:00 +0000

In reply to Daphne Gray-Grant. Great link - thanks!

By: william stoner

william stoner — Wed, 17 Aug 2016 15:28:00 +0000

Daphne,
Glad to learn you enjoy canoe trips. I concur that one should do the thinking part first, even though that may take months of rumination. A newspaper reporter does not have that luxury. The faculty adviser for our high school paper coached us to concentrate on the who, what, where, how and why of the story, and that formula was very helpful in writing for a deadline. In addition to your three rules of paddling, I find it is important to pick an aimpoint on the horizon, so I know if I am keeping on course.

What is the writing analog to the experiences of my friends who tell me that they tried canoeing once, flipped the canoe at the dock and never want to get into a canoe again? Maybe it is the school essay that the teacher hands back to you with red marks all over it!

By: Daniela

Daniela — Wed, 17 Aug 2016 06:36:00 +0000

Thank you for the tips Daphne. One practice that works for me is to allocate more time to editing than to writing. I typically write fast but then go through several rounds of editing spread over a few days and with a focus not only on words but also on tone.

By: Daphne Gray-Grant

Daphne Gray-Grant — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 23:28:00 +0000

In reply to Patricia.

This is a hard one for many people, Heather. Here’s another post of mine that offers some advice on this issue: https://www.publicationcoach.com/7-ways-to-stop-editing-while-you-write/

By: Daphne Gray-Grant

Daphne Gray-Grant — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 23:27:00 +0000

In reply to Alexandra Graßler. Yes, this is very common. I think the reason is because when we force ourselves to read aloud we read more SLOWLY and this causes us to catch more errors and problems.

By: Alexandra Graßler

Alexandra Graßler — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 20:53:00 +0000

Thanks for your rules! One thing I follow along is the rule to read my text out loud in the editing process. I find my weird texts with “my ears” much more often than with my eyes 🙂