Process Writing—A Smooth & Natural Experience (Part 2)

By Aaron Nielsenshultz

So what is process writing? Process writing is a method of writing that emphasizes your best way to write effectively. Rather than focusing on speed or on end result, process writing recognizes that the only way to get better at writing is to practice it intentionally. We can’t call the mad rush of deadline-beating practice!

So process writing is writing that we do in order to become better writers. There is no one process—We’ve all gotta find our happy place. Process writing lets you learn from yourself how you write best. It takes a little extra time, but since you’ll learn how to make your writing life easier, the investment is worth the pay off.

Do it for yourself
Writing is like any other activity you pursue—you won’t get better at it (and you certainly won't FEEL better about it) if you don’t do it. You can’t break your product-writing habits if you don’t practice good process-writing habits.

Almost everything we compose, we write for other people. In order to change that, give yourself 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes after lunch where you just write for yourself. What should you write about? Doesn’t matter. You can write about your previous meal, or about what you’d like to get done in the next few hours, or about that beautiful sunset last night. It’s important just to write.

Don’t worry about spelling or punctuation or anything like that—just spend 10 minutes writing. Keep the writing going. Don’t allow yourself to stop or to be interrupted. You might try writing on paper, too, in order to break that computer-based habit.

Your twice-daily writing installments will do two things for you: They’ll focus your writing mind, and they’ll make you more comfortable putting words on paper.

You’re not alone in your process
Becoming a better writer is not just about writing, though. Being a good writer also means that you expose yourself to good writing. Don’t worry—we’re not going to tell you to read 10 minutes of Dickens twice a day. But we do suggest reading something for at least 10 minutes twice a day.

What should you read? Try any magazine, journal, or book related to:

your profession
writing
your hobbies
something you want to learn
something you don't agree with
your clients

We recommend you stay away from web sites and newspapers—there's too much bad writing mixed in with the good.

For your 10 minute reading sessions, look at the way the writing is constructed. Watch for the way the sentences are put together, and look at the word choice. You can, in your writing practice, try to emulate some of the things you’ve read, but the point of this reading is to see how other people construct their writing.

We’ll be back in another issue with more process writing tips, but for now, give yourself the time to work on writing for writing’s sake and reading for writing’s sake.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Yara and Aaron Nielsenshultz, the Writing "Peppers" and founders of Red Pepper Writing, teach ambitious Coaches, Consultants, and other Solopreneurs how to use powerful writing to get more clients and make more money. For FREE weekly writing tips, visit http://www.redpepperwriting.com.

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