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The Infamous Vomit Draft · 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: There are lots of enemies we have to battle as writers.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: One of the most ferocious ones is self-editing.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: Now, self-editing is the tendency to edit as you go to try and clean up and try to perfect your writing at the same time that you're creating it.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Now, the big problem with self-editing is that you're trying to use your right and left brain at the same time.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: The right brain focuses on creative activities and the left brain focuses on logic and reason.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: And the reason that you get stuck when you're trying to create a draft and edit it at the same time is because these two sides are constantly in battle with each other.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: And this can really hold you up when you're trying to finish a blog post, an article, or another piece of shorter content, but it's disastrous when you try to self-edit yourself as you're writing a book.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, let's be honest, writing a book is challenging enough as it is.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: It requires stamina and focus, typically for a few months until you get that first draft done.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: And once you get that first draft done, you feel an amazing sense of accomplishment and motivation because you've gotten over a huge hurdle.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: So the goal is to get a first draft done quickly.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: And the best way to do this is to write what's called a vomit draft.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: Despite the horrible imagery, and sorry about that, a vomit draft is extremely effective at giving you speed and momentum.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: A vomit draft is the very first draft of a book, and by the way, it also applies to shorter pieces.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: You can have a vomit draft of basically anything.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: This is just a quick first draft that you get done.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: Now, after you figure out your message, your audience, and the problem you're solving for people, and you outline the book, then the idea is with a vomit draft, you want to get that first draft done as fast as you possibly can.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: And it's called a vomit draft because it's where you put all your ideas.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: You're just getting the material out there as quickly as you can.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: Now, when you write a vomit draft, don't worry about being messy or imperfect.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: This is the place just to get the material out there so you've got something to actually work with.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: And also when you're writing this draft, don't edit as you go.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: Just get it onto the page and worry about the cleanup later.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: As they say, you can't edit something that you haven't written.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: Or sometimes people say you can't edit a blank page.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: So make it your goal to write first, then edit later.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: Now again, write it vomit draft as fast as you can, then go back and clean it up.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: Don't edit too much as you go.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: Separate your right and your left brain activities so you can let creativity flow in the first draft, then let your internal editor take over on the next draft.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: You know, writing a book is kind of like building a house.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: First you create a plan, then you create the framing.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: After that, you run utilities, you put on a roof and siding, you put up drywall, and you lay flooring.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: And you only paint when those things are done.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: And when you self-edit as you write, it's kind of like trying to paint before you've even put up the drywall.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: This is why so many writers feel that writing is difficult because they're trying to put up the paint before they've even finished the framing of the house or put up the drywall.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: They're putting the cart before the horse, so to speak.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: So again, separate your right and your left brain activities, and you're gonna have a much easier time.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: Here's today's challenge.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: If you tend to self-edit as you write, do you honestly believe that's holding you back from faster progress?
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: And I bet the answer would be yes.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: So if you tend to self-edit, do the vomit draft, and I think it's gonna help you make progress a lot faster.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: Speaking of progress, I want to mention our sponsor today, which is the Writers Talk app.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: If you've always wanted to write a book but you don't know how to get started, you'll love the Writers Talk app.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: When you join, you get immediate access to hundreds of instructional videos, a tool to help you come up with more ideas, and best of all, a community where you can collaborate with other authors.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: Writers Talk is only$4.99 a month, and you can check it out by going to writersalk.app.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening, and I'll see you next time.