Writing is a Puzzle

My favorite part of writing is the opportunity to articulate my thoughts. Writing assignments are permission to express ones ideas without apology. The challenge of organizing sentences to clearly reflect my thoughts is quite enjoyable. Writing is a puzzle whose solution is the sum of parts the author manufactures. One has an idea what picture will result when the pieces are assembled but the pieces are not all provided.

The hardest part of writing for me is getting started. The transition from the blank page to a rough draft is always difficult. A technique that works well for me is focused free-writing. Once I break the inertia of staring at a blank page and start writing, the thoughts tend to flow like water from a floodgate.

With initial thoughts on paper, I rework the results, often stopping to brainstorm ideas that will support the ideas I wrote during my free-writing exercise. It is not uncommon for me to create several drafts of my ideas and modify my outline many times before I am satisfied.

Ultimately the best tip I have about writing is to avoid second guessing the ideas from the initial brainstorm. The challenge is to surmount the paradox of writing expertly about that which one is far from expert and express myself.