Reimagine Your Workflow to Become a More Innovative Writer
By: Kaitlyn Wessels
Tags: Workflow, Creative Process, Writing Tips, Content, Innovation

Reimagine Your Workflow to Become a More Innovative Writer

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To be an entrepreneur, you have to take risks, put in the time, come up with novel ideas, grow from your failures, and be willing to get uncomfortable.

Writing, especially on a platform like Medium, is much like that.

By approaching writing with an entrepreneurial mindset, you will find new ways of being creative, create new systems for work flow, and lean into challenges and weaknesses in order to produce something of value.

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Creativity is not a personality trait

“It’s not fair, she is so creative! Why am I not a creative person?”

This is just an excuse. “Creative” people actually have to work really hard on their work, just like everyone else.

It always reminds me of the story about the woman who approached Picasso in a restaurant, asked him to scribble something on a napkin, and said she would be happy to pay whatever he felt it was worth. Picasso complied and then said, “That will be $10,000.” “But you did that in thirty seconds,” the astonished woman replied. “No,” Picasso said. “It has taken me forty years to do that.” (What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School)

10% of our creativity is innate, but 90% can be learned (Harvard Manage Mentor, Make Creative Connections).

Outside of the box thinking can be developed through shifting your mindset, building curiosity, and trying out new systems.

As you probably know, creativity is an essential to every part of your writing. From something as big as the overall theme of your piece to the metaphors used throughout the work, you are using the power of creativity.

“Creative” writing is not just for fiction writers. In fact, every writer is putting a new idea out into the world, a novel connection that they found and are curious about. Creativity is the foundation for value. Creativity is why someone clicks on your article instead of someone else’s.

So how might we cultivate this juicy creativity stuff?

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Creativity is a process

First of all, creativity is a process. It is not something that just happens.

You have to build a routine around your writing. To really get into the flow state, you have to develop the skill of what Cal Newport calls, “Deep Work.” And to do this, you have to put in the time.

I’m assuming that you know the basics already: researching, outlining, editing, and all of that other stuff in your regular old writing process. Next time you sit down to write something new, mix things up by taking a different route to idea generation and iteration.

In a startup, a great idea can only take you so far, you have to put in the work, take the risks, learn from your mistakes, iterate, collaborate, and much more.

If entrepreneurs create business plans and follow a creative process, then why can’t writers create writing plans to become successful?

The “creative process” in business:

Preparation: looking at the problem from a variety of perspectives

Incubation: letting the problem lie in the subconscious for a time

Illumination: discovery of a solution

Verification: bringing the idea to the outcome

Here is how we can transfer this creative process to writing:

Preparation

In writing, we must come across a problem we wish to be solved before we are moved to write about it. In an entrepreneurship course, they might require you to keep an opportunity log in which you write down a problem or dissatisfaction and really get to the root of the problem. When coming up with ideas for writing, don’t just write the title of the possible piece, think about who the audience is and how they will benefit from a solution. When writing this article, I first wrote down my dissatisfaction: my current writing process is demotivating and difficult.

Then, we get to the meat of the “preparation” stage by looking at the problem from a variety of perspectives. If you are dissatisfied with the American education system and are moved to write about it, think about it from multiple lenses. This is the time to ask “why” and “how might we” questions. “Why is the education system so messed up?” “How might we improve access to learning materials?” “How might we create a more effective and safe environment for children?”

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Incubation

Once you have decided on a more narrow view of the problem, resist trying to come up with a solution right away. In writing, we tend to get inspiration at random moments. Delegate the problem to your subconscious and give yourself time to think. Put your phone away and go on a walk. Delete the distracting apps on your phone. Just sit in silence if you have to. Our best ideas come from this rumination period.

Sara Blakely, Spanx founder and owner, will go on fake commutes to work every morning just so she has the time to think.

Now, you don’t have to waste gas like that, but find something that you can do mindlessly to give yourself time to explore. Why do we get our best ideas in the shower? Maybe because it is the one time where we aren’t distracted by our phones and other things vying for our attention.

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Illumination

During this step, hopefully you will have had spent a fair amount of time looking like a crazy person talking to yourself. Finding different overlaps and paradoxes, doing some research, mind-mapping, and talking to different people are all apart of this process as well. Essentially, you are creating your value proposition. This is where you clarify your solution to the “opportunity” that you are going to produce in your writing.

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Verification

“Verification” is the step that we tend to emphasize the most in the writing world. It’s the part when we actually sit down at our computer and wiggle our fingers on the little black and white buttons.

However, with each new idea you explore within your work, you have to start the process over again. You have to continue this creative cycle over and over until you complete your rough draft.

All companies go though “editing” phases on their products and services. This is when they make the idea something real, something tangible.

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Bonus Step: Iteration

The unsung “iteration” process is probably one of the most important steps. You aren’t just going to stop at one article, just like a technology company isn’t going to stop designing, innovating, and improving their products.

Apple just keeps coming out with new iPhones, and every time, we think to ourselves, “again, really?” But the other day, I came across my old phone, the brick that is the iPhone 4, and I just couldn’t believe that we settled for that. I mean, we lugged those around all day and it took forever to do all of the tasks that we can now do in milliseconds.

Have you ever read your old writing? It’s kind of like looking at an iPhone 4, not believing that it was really that bad. Over time, you have developed new techniques and ways of keeping things interesting. This is why the iteration process of writing is so important.

You can become creative, you just have to put in the effort.

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