TOP 10 SECRET TIPS:
4. THINK DRAFT. Consider everything you write as just a draft of your initial thinking and words. I even draft e-mail responses. When I save my e-mails in Inbox Drafts and then return later, I always catch errors and reword something to polish those drafts.
A draft can usually be improved with careful rewrites that might also incorporate the comments of colleagues, a mentor, and/or reviewers. Multiple drafts can be expected. In the journal review process, it’s not unusual to submit 1 or even up to 3 revisions before a manuscript is finally accepted for publication. The process is brutal, but the final product is far better than the initial submission.
Theta Brain Waves. Stay focused on your writing. Think about how it can be worded more concisely and clearly and/or funnier. Sit back, close your eyes, relax, and try to visualize the writing on the wall…Oops! I mean your writing on your screen. When you’re relaxed in almost shallow sleep mode, your Theta brain waves activate free-flowing creativity and different words. Hurry and write down those words while you’re flowing.
Bedtime Thoughts. Have you ever gone to bed and, as your mind relaxes, all of a sudden a burglar you saw on a Law & Order rerun breaks in and steals your PC? “No?” Oh, sorry. What about: ideas that start popping into your mind about your writing that you must right down before you forget them, but you can’t find your glasses to find the Post-its and a pen and your alarm is still blaring from the break-in. (Grammatical Note: English professors call the structure of the previous elongated sentence a "subcutaneous conjunctive carbuncle.") Jot down your carbuncles quickly. If you don’t, you probably won’t remember them in the morning and you’ll have to go back to sleep to recall them. Hummm. Not a bad idea.
My next blog will tackle Tip 3: proofreading your writing. Although, as the author, you are the worst proofreader you could hire, you have to do it.
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
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