Writing

I feel absolutely unqualified to tell anyone how to write, as good writing is a deeply personal thing. But several of you have sent in messages and emails asking about writing, so here we are. While my standard pitch will always be “Pick up a pen and put words on paper… work through it” (just as “Pick up a camera and go” is my advice for photographers), here are three things I always try to keep in mind when writing:

Write like you talk. Stop worrying the words on the page. If you’re looking through the Thesaurus for a fancy-sounding word to dress up your writing, stop. If you wouldn’t use it in spoken English, don’t write it. Think about the cadence of the spoken word. How do you form your sentences? See if you can capture that tempo on the page.

Be honest. Writing—good writing—isn’t for the faint-hearted. You’re putting a private part of yourself out there into the world. It encourages you to do things worth writing about… to get out into the world, meet people, get a little banged up, and tell a story in the process.

Embrace the chaos. Don’t wait for a quiet coffeehouse playing the right kind of music, or for the morning sun to hit your breakfast table just right. Don’t be fussy with your location. Carry a notebook and pen wherever you go, and just pick up the pen. Open the notebook. Poke at the paper a bit. Write. Write a grocery list. Something. Just put stripes of ink on paper. Words will come, and those word will become paragraphs.

Over the past few years, I’ve received a volley of emails from prospective photographers and writers, asking a variety of “how do I?” questions. I’m always happy to help, and love to see people taking the leap into the professional creative world. To that end I’ve penned a few articles and blog posts about in the past. This one, “So You Want to Be a Professional Fishing Photographer?” went from a casual late-night blog post to a requested magazine article in the blink of an eye.

Thanks to the advent of the internet and the burgeoning social media realm, we’re in a world of content generation. All those articles, listicles, and funny tidbits you’re reading? Someone, somewhere, wrote them. Quite possibly in their sweatpants on the couch. Or barricaded in a corner of the local coffee shop consuming one too many lattes.

Contrary to popular belief, writing isn’t always sexy. It’s not usually this moment of divine inspiration; the heated all-night writing sessions that Hollywood would have us believe. Oh, it happens, sure. I penned one of my favorite pieces in the back of a Mi-8 helicopter trundling over the Russian tundra years ago.

But the reality of most writing is remarkably unsexy. It’s grind-it-out work done to meet a deadline. Work done not in a perfectly-lit coffeeshop with rain falling softly outside; it’s late-night shifts at the desk and waking up in the middle of the night thinking I need to rephrase that one line. It’s not being able to let your brain rest until you get that line on paper, and then fiddling with it for two days when it won’t leave your conscious.

Sure, sometimes your fingers will start to tap, your mind race, and you’ve got to pen something NOW. When things flow… an hour disappears and suddenly you’ve got 1,500 words — good words — on what was a blank piece of paper.

But for the rest of the time, here are a few tips and tricks that have come hard-earned over the years.

Just Get Something on Paper. Write Drivel. Transcribe Russian. (I don’t care.) Write.

I’m notorious for just starting to write random things on a paper. Ever since I was in grade school, it’s been a way to distract myself, to let my brain process and think. I literally have shelves of notebooks filled with writing that will never see the light of day. If we’re ever in a meeting and you see me writing, I’m not ignoring you. I’m processing the project. It could be a to-do list, it could be the beginning of a historical essay. The lure of filling blank paper with words is just too tempting, and my brain’s working as those characters appear.

So, when you find yourself staring at the blank page, just get something on paper. Line out your workout for later in the evening. Write three sentences about your last trip — what you saw, felt, smelled. Pen a poem. Last week I was stuck on an advertising campaign for a client; I picked up my pen and paper and transcribed the Russian alphabet and basic words. Next thing I knew, my brain had churned over the campaign and I was ready to get it on paper. Just fill the page… I don’t care if it’s garbage or not.

Create an Outline.

This is one of my favorite content writing tricks. Especially if it’s a topic that requires research, I’ll do my homework and then organize my notes into a basic outline. From there, it’s far easier to create a coherent article. This builds off the point above… you’re just getting something on paper, and an outline makes a big project seem a little more “biteable.”

Move Yourself.

Sometimes you need to physically move. Leve the computer, abandon the notebook, and go for a walk. If you’re in an office, go get coffee. Squeeze in a workout if you can. In my days at Orvis headquarters, I’d go throw dries as brook trout in a nearby stream. This winter, the pool and the rowing machine are my go-to for mulling over new projects. Physically moving your body puts you in a different brain space, allowing your mind to subconsciously mull over creative projects while your body is occupied with something else. Keep a note-taking device nearby… I’ve definitely been that girl in the gym madly making notes on my phone as an idea crystalizes.

Choose Your Soundtrack. Consume Caffeine.

Good music helps. Coffee also helps. Not a coffee drinker? Pick your poison… tea, water, kombucha, whatever. Fuel up and get those words on paper. Stream your music so you’re not constantly having to flick through songs and interrupt your creative flow. My happy space this week? Too much black coffee, a big jug of water and the Atomic Blonde soundtrack on Spotify. Next week the music selection could be Mancini. Who knows.

Write More.

As cool as it sounds to say writing is truly divine inspiration, it’s not that sexy. Writing is a habit, and like all habits, it needs to be nurtured. Write often. Write a variety of content. Stuck on the commuter train? Pen a poem. Long flight? Give yourself a prompt and write a 2,500-word short story. Tired and just not feeling it today? Too bad. Write, dammit.

Some of the hardest writing I’ve done is on international assignments. When we’re in some remote corner of the world, it’s past midnight, I only have a headlamp, my body is screaming for rest and we have a 4AM wake-up to break camp, the last thing I want to do it take detailed notes in my notebook. But when we’re exhausted our brains do funny things, and I know that by the time I get on the plane ride home and feel like I have time to write notes down, I’ll have forgotten the visceral details that make stories truly compelling. You can look back over my notebooks from years past and you’ll see notes like “f-ing tired” “fishing sucked,” “peppermint-scented air,” “too many snakes,” “nurse provided antibiotics; not sure what they are,” and “this is f-ing awesome.” (These were all literally trip notes from the past several years.) Write what you feel, even if it’s in little phrases. Those comments will jolt you back into the moment later, and you can expound and get the article written on the long plane ride home. And, years later, you’ll be glad you did.

One more tip? Always, always jot down the names of place and people when you’re on location. Have the locals look at your list to ensure you’re getting the spelling right. Note nicknames, funny local terms, whatever. You’ll forget by the time you wish you remembered.

Now go forth and write, be it from the couch, the local coffeehouse, or the far corners of the globe.