From August 2020

It’s my first entry here in awhile! (Wish me luck)

Something of value’s bound to come of it, especially if it’ll get me (and you) writing 500 words every now and then.

Consider Graham Greene, who wrote this exact amount, 500 words, in such a precise manner that he would actually stop in mid-sentence if he knew he’d reached his daily quota. Often, in Greene’s case this would occur before breakfast, freeing him to use what was left of his day to do whatever he wanted.

So: 500 words a day, right? That’s 2,500 words per work week, 10,000 per month. If you can do this, you will have written 120,000 words in just one year, which is sufficient for a nice-sized book. And you’ll have had your weekends off.

OK, admittedly, there are some fearsome talents out there — writers who can effortlessly combine prose and plot, who “see” the story faster than they can write it.

And there are others, like Stephen King, who’ve been quoted as saying, “When the words flow, it’s like taking dictation.”

In his memoir, “On Writing,” King also says, ” You can make a good writer better; you just can’t make a bad writer good.”

I’d revise that, for the times (and to get this blog entry finally to the point!), and say this instead: 

Hit “Publish.” 

In the digital era, where publishing your work has never been easier and more immediate, exchanging know-how happens instantaneously.

All you have to do is click. Just sit down and knock something out – whether someone sees it or not, you’ll benefit in many ways.

I have a perfectionist friend named Mark — a real person working in publishing whose name’s been changed to protect the innocent, and who’s also a gifted novelist. 

He hasn’t written much lately. That’s because Mark’s acutely afraid of producing less than his best work.

As he awaits perfection, Mark procrastinates. The clock keeps ticking. (Unburdened by a defined style or voice, I can just sort of bang out copy while Mark, a borderline genius, labors) 

Finally, when there’s enormous friction and little time remaining, he coughs up a flawed masterpiece that will blow away his colleagues. And is miserable. He’s throwing away his gift, yet we are the ones who suffer. 

The fastest way to get better at anything is to just do it.

That doesn’t mean that to improve your writing, you’ve got to consult a grammarian, but it does call for writing more — and more often.

Put your knowledge out there! Make a commitment to writing those Awful First Drafts, which are always better than No Drafts.

So here’s to Graham Greene and his 500 words a day. And to the heart of the matter — my message on returning to the LinkedInnosphere:

Lose your fear. Grab a pen, a keyboard, or simply speak and transcribe. 

Let those ideas flow.

And hit “Publish.”