Slow writing: 5 fast tips
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I have a confession to make. I’m anti-hustle.
As a modern go-getting mumpreneurial copywriter, I realise this makes me a bit of a stripeless zebra. A beakless toucan. A songless nightingale. But there’s something about the word ‘hustle’ that I don’t like.
Let’s look at the definition, according to the Oxford dictionary:
Hustle: Verb
1. [with object] Push roughly; jostle.
Hmmm, I don’t like this so much. It brings vivid imagery of a bunch of kids trying to get on the school bus, pushing in front of each other in their haste to get the best seat.
2. North American informal [with object] Obtained illicitly or by forceful action.
Well, that’s a little alarming. I didn’t know hustling was actually illegal. But then, I hadn’t yet seen the third definition…
3. North American informal [no object] Engage in prostitution.
Ahem. I’ll leave it there, shall I?
I know I’m being pedantic. Hustle is often just another word for working on your business. For being busy. But I’ll admit, I have a little grievance with this word, too. The Australian recently wrote about how stress has become a status symbol for working women, that being ‘busy’ is the working woman’s equivalent to a brag book.
When asked, ‘How are you?’, the answer is invariably: ‘Busy.’ No longer do we simply reply, ‘Good’; instead we say we’re ‘Busy’ and then go on to give a list of all the things that have led to such busy-ness, or else, give a resigned smile and shrug that carries the insupportable weight of every item on said list.
According to nutrition specialist Dr Libby Weaver, there’s been a shift in women’s health and well-being, towards something now commonly known as Rushing Women’s Syndrome. It’s a syndrome that occurs when we place value in our busyness; when the squeeze between work, childcare, activities, social life, health and fitness leaves us simultaneously wired and worn out.
This subconscious drive to be ‘busy’ reminds me of The Caucus Race in Alice in Wonderland (the 1951 Disney version, of course), where the Dodo and all the other folk run in circles, chanting;
“Backward, forward, outward, inward, bottom to the top,
Never a beginning, there can never be a stop!”
Alice in Wonderland's The Caucus Race, Disney, 1951
The merry little characters race round and round and round, being drenched by waves and gleefully ignorant of the futility of it all. Eventually Alice realises the impossibility of the race, and wanders off to find her own path.
I guess I’m a little like Alice. Wanting to step off the merry-go-round. Slow down. Calm down. Take time.
I’m not the only one who takes a slow approach to business. Jess O’Connor, a fellow copywriter and collaborator, wrote about exactly this.
And when I think about my approach to copywriting, I think there is a way to achieve “Slow Writing”. Despite the title, this doesn’t mean missing deadlines, or labouring over every word. Rather, it is a process that allows us to write quickly, whilst taking the time to make it great.
Taking time: breaking up the task into little pieces gives time to reflect and reframe.
Slow Writing: Five fast tips.
Whether you’re a small business owner who writes your own copy, or a seasoned copywriter who needs a reminder of some helpful tricks and tips, here are some quick ways to write slow.
1. Write.
It’s the oldest trick in the book. Set yourself a timer for 15 minutes, and just write. Don’t edit, don’t correct typos and don’t stop. If you can’t think of a word or need to check something, just write “GOSLING” as a placeholder (that’s right: Ryan Gosling. His rugged handsomeness will instantly calm you. You’re welcome).
2. Create a framework.
Think of your objective (what you want to customer to do), and think about how you can make that easily digestible for them. Again, spend only 15 minutes.
3. Edit.
Using the framework, cut and paste to fit to the framework you’ve created. Do the research to fill in the Gosling Gaps.
4. Edit again.
Look at sentence structures, tone of voice, your calls to action. Maybe edit a little more.
5. Proofread.
Or get a colleague or friend to proof read. Then press ‘send’.
Why is this slow, you ask? Here’s the Sneaky Sixth Tip: in between every step, do something else. Work on another project, go to a meeting. Go pick up the kids from school/childcare. Go make yourself a cup of tea (or coffee. Or wine. If you put it in a mug, no one will question you).
I’m not for a minute suggesting you that you should take longer to write the article than you normally would. Nor am I suggesting that you always write the article over a number of days (although I find this helps, where possible). Sometimes you’ll have to turn something around in a day – that’s totally doable. The point is to take breaks in between each step, even if that means your break is actually drafting a different piece of writing.
It may sound frenetic, but what it actually does is slow things down. There isn’t pressure to nail the draft the first time you sit down to write it. And in between each step, you get valuable thinking time. When you’re driving to pick up the kids, you could be mulling over the framework. When you’re tuning out in a meeting, you could be fixing your Gosling Gaps.
Simply put: Slow Writing allows things to percolate. Time to reflect. Reform. Reframe. It slows everything right down, and your writing – and state of mind – will be better for it.
Do you write in one sitting or take things a little slower? I’d love to know.