I claim to enjoy writing but, to be honest, I enjoy it only AFTER it’s done. The process of writing itself is challenging to me.
You see, I’m the type of writer who can’t sit down for too long. I’ll start to daydream, surf through YouTube channels to find inspiration, or I’d take long naps in order to “sort through” my crazy ideas. After that, I would finally sit down and write. Then comes the endless hours of editing. Suffice to say, writing is a laborious (takes time and effort) process. Can you relate?
If you struggle with writing, then today’s episode is all about working with your writing style, quirks (peculiar aspects of your personality), and how to develop better habits.
My guest on today’s podcast is Kikie Jahn. She is a certified copy editor who does developmental and structural editing for academic work. Interestingly, she is also a certified Myers-Briggs Typology Indicator practitioner. This means she has a deep understanding of how people can work with (and not against) their individual characteristics in order to enhance their performance.
In the context of writing, for example, if you tend to struggle with too many ideas that you get overwhelmed easily, Kikie suggests that you start by allowing yourself to write freely. Afterwards, you need to sort through your wild ideas. You can do this by grouping them into themes and highlighting recurring ideas in the same colour. Finally, ask for feedback from peers and editors to cut redundancy and polish your work.
Kikie also describes another type of writing style. While some people struggle with too many ideas, there are those who struggle with original thinking and produce dull (boring) content. Kikie says this kind of people would benefit tremendously from watching movies and documentaries, and listening to talks or discussions on relevant topics to seek inspiration.
Watch the podcast episode here.
You can also listen to this episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts.
I thoroughly enjoyed speaking to Kikie on this topic and I think you will benefit from listening to today’s episode too. You might also find her description of these two writing styles quite humorous (she names these two writing styles Sarah and Tiffany).
So which one are you? Sarah, who gets easily overwhelmed, or Tiffany, who struggles with original writing?
Okay, the painful part of writing this post is done. I now have to edit. But let me take a long nap first. Kidding.
Have a productive day ahead!
