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Transcript

Be Bad in Order to Be Good · The Daily Writer

• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Daily Rider Podcast, where we bring you tips and inspiration each day to help you build habits for writing success.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: For more resources, including your free Daily Rider Starter Kit, visit DailyWriterLife.com.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: One of the most important lessons we can ever learn as writers is that good writing happens in stages.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: Whenever you read a great book chapter or a blog post or a screenplay or you hear a great speech, you can be certain that it didn't begin that way.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: It was most likely outlined, drafted, revised, and edited probably several times before it took its final shape.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: And this is the way almost all good writing, as well as almost all good art, is created.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: Take the Beatles, for example.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: In the year since the Beatles made their original recordings in the 1960s, there have been lots of behind-the-scenes albums released that show how their songs progressed in stages.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: The 2018 re-release of the White album included the legendary Esher demos, which were recorded at George Harrison's house in Esher, which is about a half hour's drive southwest of London.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: And during these sessions, the Beatles recorded an early version of the song While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: Now it's quite a bit faster and much more stripped down than the final version that was included on the album.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: But through the process of rewriting, arranging, and perfecting the song over time, it eventually became something truly majestic.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: And this is a pattern that all great creatives seem to follow.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: The great William Faulkner spoke to this truth when he said this.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: Take chances.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: It may be bad, but it's the only way you can do anything really good.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, we'd be hard pressed to say that any of the Beatles' early demos were bad, but they were definitely improved by the continual process of revision.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: The same process holds true for all artists, including writers.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: The first version is not the final version.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: You've got to just get down a first draft and then keep working on it from there.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: It's been said that 10% of good writing is inspiration while 90% is perspiration.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: And that sounds about right to me.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: Just get the words down and keep working at it.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: You'll get better and faster over time.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: Because at the end of the day, if you want to be good, you have to first be willing to be bad.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: A big thanks to today's sponsor, Write Your First Nonfiction Book, the brand new book from my friend and business coach, Honore Corter.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: If you've always dreamed of writing a book but you're not sure how to get started, this guide is exactly what you need.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: In write your first nonfiction book, you'll learn the exact system that Honore has used to write many of her own books.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: You don't have to guess what goes in each chapter because she lays it all out for you step by step.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're ready to stop dreaming and you want to learn from an author who sold millions of books, head on over to dailywriterlife.comslash nonfiction book to grab your copy today.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening, and I'll see you tomorrow.