How to be a Grab-and-Go Writer
By: David Majister
Tags: Creativity, Inspiration, Writing Tips, Writing, Writers Block

How to be a Grab-and-Go Writer

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

When I’ve got a few spare moments to write, I grab-and-go.

We live in a fast-paced world, where every second counts. As a writer who has a 9–5 job and a busy family life, my time is precious. When I’ve got a few spare moments to write, I want to grab-and-go, not sit around waiting for inspiration to strike. I want convenience in my writing. As a result, I’ve created processes that make it easy for me to write on demand.

Here are the techniques I’ve discovered are the most effective in being a grab-and-go writer, and that maximize my output for minimal effort.

Train yourself to write anytime, anywhere

I used to insist on having a peaceful, uninterrupted space for my writing to happen. I never found such a space, so I never got round to writing. I only started writing when I accepted that wherever I write there will be interruptions. Even if I shut down my WiFi network and ask my family to ignore me for the day, I still have my bookshelf, my thoughts and my emotions to distract me. Writing amidst the noise is the only way I can ever get words down.

A significant step forward was learning to write on my phone. I resisted doing this for years, and I didn’t realize how much that held back my opportunities for creative expression. When you can write on your phone, you can literally write anywhere. There’s no excuse not to get words down. I’m writing this on my phone while lying on the couch, after an evening watching TV.

When you’re willing to write anywhere, you can find snatches of time all over the place. When you’re in the line to pay for groceries, when you’re waiting for a friend to show up for a beer, during a coffee break at work. The more I practice writing during these times, the more automatic it becomes for me to pick up my phone and just write.

Accept you’re good at clean-up

I write anytime and anywhere, and l get interrupted often. As a result, my thoughts are typically more messy and disorganized than I’d like them to be. I write them down anyway. I save clean up for later. And when it comes to editing, I usually find there’s more of a pattern and structure to my thoughts than I realized at the time of writing. When you trust that you’ll be able to handle the cleanup, you’re freer to go ahead with making a mess. The more mess the better — because that gives you more raw materials to work with as you build out a piece of writing.

Catch your thought-snippets

Thought snippets fly by like fairies, you hardly see them, and if you don’t pay attention immediately, they disappear into the ether forever. That’s why as soon as I have a thought snippet — for an article I’m working on, or for a new article — I open my notes app and write it down.

I don’t have a complicated system. I capture thoughts in Google Keep on my phone, because it’s a simple app with minimal distractions, and it loads quickly. Then every so often I sit at my laptop and organize my ideas in Evernote.

Capturing my thoughts in this way, I have an order of magnitude more solid ideas to write about than I have time to write them. I’m never short on ideas, and you don’t need to be either. Even so, when an idea catches fire with my readers, I like to revisit it, and there’s a good reason for that.

Keep an outline library

I shared above that I capture thought snippets in Google Keep, then from time-to-time file them away in Evernote. Often when I think of an idea, a shower of related ideas shows up. Before I know it I have the skeleton of an article. Both Google Keep and Evernote are full of these article outlines. That means whenever I want to start a quick writing session, I don’t need to search for a fresh idea, I’ve already got materials to work with.

I’m writing this article now based on one of my outlines from Google Keep. Of course, the structure has changed and expanded as I’ve been writing. That’s part of the joy of discovery as I sit with an idea and write.

Recycle your best ideas

It’s easier to write on the go when you’re familiar with the topic, rather than exploring new territory. In my grab-and-go writing I tend to revisit topics I’ve written about before, rather than forging new ground. That helps cement my own learning around the topic. It also means I’m presenting the same ideas to my readers in new ways, giving them more opportunities to fully absorb what I’m sharing.

Educators call this spiral learning. Marketers say it takes up to seven encounters with a brand for a customer to feel familiar with it, and have enough trust to make a purchase. Writing on similar themes is a good way to build trust with your readers, and help them get familiar with your main ideas. So, if an article has resonated with your readers, re-visit it from a new angle. Even if the core ideas are similar, by packaging them in different ways you keep it fresh for your readers.

When in doubt, write about whatever is right in front of you

What if your outline library is empty? Start writing about whatever is in your immediate environment. This could be describing a person in your field of vision, writing about the room you’re sitting in, or noting down random thoughts as they come up in your mind. Get it all down, it’s all practice at getting words into the page. Sometimes this will morph into an article, sometimes it’s just about practicing writing and giving your mind space to breathe.

When grab-and-go writing can be as simple as jotting down your thoughts, there’s never an excuse to avoid it, as that’s a practice you can always engage in.

Writing can be easier than grabbing your takeout lunch

I hope I’ve shown you in this article just how easy it’s is to grab-and-go with your writing — even easier than picking up a takeout sandwich in your lunch break.

When you can write on demand in any situation, you’ll see your creative output soar, and that can only be a good thing for your writing career. So wherever you happen to be right now, grab a writing device, and start writing. You won’t regret it.

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