I always thought writing was just getting the words down on paper (or screen).

Over time I’ve found it’s also about a few other things.

Planning. If you’re writing anything long form you have to plan it. It’s not like micro blogging where I can dash a hundred words out. If you’re putting together longer form pieces you have to know in advance what you’re saying and why.

Editing. I’ve mentioned before I take twice as long to edit as write. When it’s longer form it takes even longer – I revisit what I’ve written and think how I can make it better and fiddle with it too much.

Focus. I have to sit for a couple of hours to get words out, make them the right words, put them in the right order, and make sure they make sense. I can scribble stuff out in between but taking the time to form the phrases I’m aspiring to needs concentration.

Reading. Seeing other people’s words and their phrase and sentence construction inspires me to be more creative with my own. Seeing how other people use language effectively often tempers my attempts to overcomplicate my words.

Stopping. Taking breaks matters a lot. There was over and hour and a 4 mile walk between the start and end of this post. Recognising when to start, pause, continue, and stop was way more important than I expected.

What are the other things you use to help write? Let me know in the comments.