I had a personal breakthrough during our WRITE! WRITE! WRITE! live session on Monday. My intention for the session was to make a start on outlining a book-length project. When I say, make a start what I really mean is make another start because this is a project that I've been thinking about for at least two decades and it already lives in a gazillion (slight exaggeration, but only slight) different notebooks and Google docs and folders in various forms.
A while ago, I sent off for a couple of these A5 ringbinders. I like the size of them and that they are plain enough for me to customise and cheap enough not to fill me with performance axiety. I have written before about how I find very fancy notebooks inhibiting.
It turns out that these ringbinders and a stack of the thin loose leaf paper was exactly what I needed for this outlining project. I could fill a page with an idea, knowing that I could then move it around and play with repositioning it in the overall structure.
Something about this felt immensely freeing. I got out my pens – these Stabilo 'Boss' highlighters always give me the illusion that I'm in charge of my process – and, in just one hour of WRITE! WRITE! WRITE!, I sketched out pages and pages of my book. It was so satisfying.
Having my outline in this format so that I can riffle through the pages and see how they work together feels so much more tangible and helpful than scrolling through all my digital files.
I'm sharing in case this happens to be helpful to you too.
I love it when I find a new way of working that allows me to ease into flow.
And if you fancy joining us for regular WRITE! WRITE! WRITE! co-writing/ body-doubling sessions, you can find out more here.
