I mentioned that I was having trouble coming up with bad-grammar examples to Melissa the other day, and she said something that made me think.
@Deb, probably because whenever we try to come up with examples, they evade us. It happens to me all the time. That is one reason to rough draft several days before deadline. All kinds of great lines, metaphors, and examples will pop into your head while the draft is simmering on the back burner.
She’s right, of course.
I could expand on this for you, pointing out the wisdom of ageing your writing until your brain is sure that everything is as perfect as it can be, but, really, Melissa covered it. How often have you finalized a blog post, or clicked send on an e-mail, only to have the perfect additional point pop into your head? (Much like the perfect come-back occurs to you hours after your argument with your spouse is over.) It happens to me all the time.
So, really, that’s it. That’s the whole “lesson” for today–don’t necessarily rush to get things out there for public consumption. Sure, there may be deadlines. Yes, there may be the need to post an update to your blog. There are always urgent things that need to be done now.
But if you have the luxury of letting your writing simmer a bit, just like a good stew, the flavors will meld and intensify–with a chance for a final pinch of salt before it leaves your keyboard.
Please, tell me I’m not the only one this happens to?
I seldom have the time to let writing simmer, though I always recommend some time between first draft and editing.
Lillie Ammann’s last blog post..National Day of Prayer 2008
I have said my brain is like a slow cooker. I seldom write anything that I haven’t been thinking about for awhile.
Renae’s last blog post..An Unexpected Miracle
@Lillie–I think as long as you’ve found time somewhere, you’re doing fine, whether it’s after the first draft, or a pause just before you finalize it. (Or, even better, both!) Some things are just better when they’re aged (grin).
@Renae–Depending on the topic, I’ve usually thought about my posts for a while also, but when it comes time to sit in front of the keyboard and think up examples of some grammatical error … my mind will still go blank. Very frustrating!
Hi Deb! Thanks for the link love 😉 You know what else I catch myself doing? Composing blog posts in my head while I’m trying to fall asleep at night.
On the flip side, I have discovered that if I let an idea simmer for too long, it gets all convoluted and I sort of lose the focus. Or maybe my interest in it just fades. There seems to be some tricky middle ground, maybe a day or two. Anything over a week seems to go bad (speaking strictly about blog posts here).
Melissa Donovan’s last blog post..May Announcements
@Melissa–Or while driving the car. Or in the shower. But definitely in places where there is no computer available (or notepaper, for that matter).
I agree with you about the time frame . . . if it gets too old, it turns into moldy leftovers!