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Hey Reader,

It’s a tale as old as time.

You sit down to write, type a few sentences, then pause.

Something feels off.

You think to yourself, “I don’t love that sentence.”

So you reread it, stare at the wall for two minutes, have a sip of coffee, tea, or something stronger, then decide to go back in.

With a hesitant determination, you change a few words.

Something still feels off.

“No, that’s not really what I mean…”

My friend, this is what I like to call the FAFF zone (which stands for the F*cking ahhhh f*ck f*ck zone).

We’ve all been there. You get stuck in a cycle of endlessly writing, tweaking, writing some more, then second-guessing everything you just wrote, repeat.

When you edit while you write, you live in the FAFF zone.

Today, I’ll help you get out and stay out of this terrible place.

Let’s stop FAFFing around and cut that fluff, shall we?

Today's Lesson: Stop editing while you write

When we write, our brains are in conversation with our fingers. Ideas form and flow in real-time. Though we (often) plan our content ahead of time, we’re not entirely sure how it’ll take shape until we get started.

This creative brain dump is similar to real-life **conversations. You can think about what you want to say to someone, but unless you script it, you can’t 100% control what comes out of your mouth.

You have no choice but to go with it. There’s no rewind button. We don’t live in a Black Mirror episode (yet).

So we repeat ourselves, speak in run-on sentences, go off on tangents, and say “like” and “um.”

We can’t help it. We all ramble. And that’s OK. We’re human!

So why do we try to act robotic when we write?

The more you try to edit your creative brain while it’s creating, the more you’ll struggle.

• You’ll move slower
• You’ll feel frustrated
• You’ll stop valuable ideas from coming to fruition

That last point is 10000x more important than the other two. I can handle moving slowly. I can handle frustration. But I can’t handle losing potential value bombs that’ll take a piece from good to great.

Those value bombs are often hidden in messy, long-winded, fluffy paragraphs.

If you edit as you write, you may prevent your best ideas from seeing the light of day.

And that is a damn shame.

Here’s what to do instead.

Step 1. Create

Allow your brain to be in conversation with your fingers.

Just write. Don’t question commas. Don’t worry about redundancy and repeated words. If you can’t quite get your point across, leave yourself a long comment about what you’re trying to say, then move on.

Do not sit around and worry about it. Do not try to make it perfect. Tell your perfectionism to get back on the bench.

Step 2. Break

People say you need to break for at least 12-24 hours. I say do what works for you, given what’s happening in your life.

I used to take days off. Now, I take minutes off. I’ve got 1-year-old twins, and I haven’t reclaimed the writing routine of my dreams. (And may never will…)

So whether you break for 5 minutes or 5 days, physically and mentally remove yourself from the content.

Time away gives you much-needed separation. It’s the only way you can properly put on your editing hat.

Step 3. Make it great

With fresh eyes and a fresh cup of coffee, tea, or something stronger, it’s time to edit.

Editing is all about attention to detail—both big and small picture.

You’re looking for gaps in the narrative, rearranging disjointed thoughts, supporting claims, getting ahead of objections, adding takeaways, cutting filler and redundancy, switching from passive to active voice, removing cliché phrasing and jargon, adding examples, and so much more.

(We’ll cover all of this in future issues.)

This requires a logical mindset. You’re still being creative but moving from imagining to refining.

The hard part about step 3 is you’re never done because your content is never perfect.

Here’s my mantra: If it’s 90% there, it’s done.

Using a checklist is a great way to know if you’ve hit that marker. Otherwise, you’re flying blind and hoping you’ve got it all.

I have checklists for long-form and social writing. I’ll share them next week when I explain the three types of editing and my process for each one.

Stop editing while you write: The takeaway

Time away from your content allows your subconscious to work its magic. It’s your creative digestive system. It breaks down tough ideas and helps you absorb them into usable thoughts.

If you edit while you write, not only do you stagnate creativity but you stifle logical hindsight.

I hope this helps.

The video lesson

I want you to hear the “don’t edit while you write” message loud and clear. So, watch and absorb!

​Watch it here​

Catch you next Friday!

Erica

Erica Schneider

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