This week's advice for writers from Robert Boice is Rule No. 5: "Work with balance between pre-writing and prose writing."
This rule is about planning, intention setting, and making excellent use of our time. Pre-writing can be list-making, or distilling the main idea, or setting out all the parameters of a piece. In the case of a book length project, it can be the proposal. Prose writing is filling in the details, writing all the words, or following an
outline.
Sometimes I admit my inclination is to dive right into writing without much of a
plan. Works great for the free-writing stage. However, it is not a very efficient or sustainable long-term solution. Boice learned from more than a 1000 academic writers that alternating between planning and outlining (what he means by pre-writing) and actual prose writing is an excellent way forward! Even the 90 seconds we take at the end of our time each day is a form of pre-writing... for the next time you revisit
that work.
I look forward to writing with you this week!
Warmly,
Eileen
