henrypaget.com

I’ve been writing for a few years now and I think I’ve learnt a bit about the process of writing. I used to scrutinize my work and over edit it so much that writing became boring, it became sterile and writing became a chore. To try and stop writing becoming such a chore I started to use Ai to help me get rid of the typos, but that process bored me just as much.

So I’ve changed the way I write, now I don’t use Ai and I’ve actually started to write as much as feasible with a pen, though the only problem with that is that I have to retype it on my phone or my computer to post it online.

The result of all this is that I’m enjoying writing much more I feel more free when I write and more myself. And that seems to be getting across to other people as my subscribers are increasing. Anyway even if they weren’t I still find that writing has become a much more enjoyable and satisfying process which ultimately will make me stick to writing for much longer.

I like to think of my writing as a product

I wouldn’t buy a product that I wouldn’t use or don’t see value in. Similarly I wouldn’t create a product that I don’t use or see value in. So my writing needs to be enjoyable to me. Because if it’s not how can I expect it to be enjoyable to others. The truth is I can’t.

If writing isn’t an enjoyable process then it won’t be enjoyed by others, at least that’s my experience and I have several years of experience writing.

All the best writing is conversational

Some of the best writing advice I’ve ever had is to write like you speak, like you’re having a conversation. Because writing is essentially a way to speak to lots of people, I know for a fine fact that when my writing mirrors how I speak it is at its best.

Voltaire said that “Writing is the painting of the voice; the closer the resemblance, the better it is” and I 100% agree. The voice is the best that one can expect to encounter but the next best is writing that mirrors the way you speak. And if your writing mirrors how you speak it will be much better than if you were to agonize about it being perfectly Grammatically correct. The closer your writing is to what you sound like the better. What helps me the most is to speak and type, that way I’m not writing like a fraud.

AI writing is never enjoyable

I’ve never enjoyed reading ai writing because honestly it’s too sterile, too perfect. The difference between ai writing and human writing is that the latter is real and the former is not. Humans naturally have flaws and imperfections and it’s these flaws and imperfections which make their writing unique, make it human. I don’t speak perfectly so don’t expect my writing to be perfect. I’d much rather someone’s writing not be perfect but be authentic because if you write like you no one can write like you, and it’s what makes you stand out.

All the great writing in the history of writing was done with a pen, quill or similar instrument

If you’re a writer like me you’ll notice that it’s much more enjoyable to write with a pen, when you do you’ll find that you get in a flow state much easier as you won’t be distracted by notifications or typos or anything you might find on a computer or a mobile phone screen. When you write with a pen you feel the pen moving on the page and each word is deliberate and packs a punch, it’s very enjoyable to do this. And it’s no wonder that all the best writing in history was done with a pen or quill.

Common writing advice that kills the art of writing

I hate it when people say don’t use this word or that word in your writing, or when people say make sure that every word packs a punch and to not use filler. I hate all this advice. Because when people speak in real life we all have our unique ways of explaining ideas and getting our point across. I find that it’s best to ignore everyone else’s writing advice and to instead make sure you write in a way that is most enjoyable to you and if it’s the most enjoyable to you it’ll be most enjoyable to others.

The only long term strategy as a writer is to write in a way you find enjoyable

If you keep scrutinising your writing, and using ai and keep swapping words out until they sound just right then personally I couldn’t write like this I’d end up giving up in a jiffy. If you want to write over years I 100% wholeheartedly believe that you must make writing as enjoyable as possible and that pretty much comes down to writing how you speak. It all comes down to writing honestly, writing like you, because no one else can write like you.