Slow Writing
Today’s newsletter is about taking my time—something I have not always been good at.
I recently discovered that my very delayed process of writing and getting these newsletters to you has a name—slow writing. As someone who was always concerned about speed (I used to say I’d never be one of those people who took a decade to write their memoir 🤐, and look at me now—I’m on an indefinite break), it kind of made me feel better because I’m constantly thinking about wanting to get more newsletters to you.
I want to write more, but I’ve fallen into this slower habit of writing, editing, stepping away to think, and then writing some more. Sometimes it takes me a month to get something in decent shape. Othertimes, I start a draft and don’t know where I’m going with it, so I stop all together and start on a new topic.
I wish I could produce more newsletters because I have many thoughts, feelings, questions, and discoveries to share with you.
So, when I saw there was a whole thing called slow writing, I was intrigued. At the moment (and due to my health), my life seems to be moving more leisurely, so slow writing seemed to fit right in.
When I did a little digging about slow writing, I realized it was about being more deliberate, taking time, and valuing quality over speed. That goes against almost everything I had to do in my writing profession because there were always tight deadlines. If I had a dollar for every time someone at work said, “We needed this yesterday…”
Even though I don’t have any looming deadlines, slow writing still took me a while to embrace. Untangling everything I had learned about speed and productivity took some practice and getting used to.
Right now, my priority is to create as much balance and harmony in my life as possible. This means I am being more aware of how I feel, my moods, and my energy. I’ve experienced burnout before, but it took me a while to realize it. I often told myself to push through and get it done, even when running on fumes.
Eventually, I had to step back because I was physically so stressed—my eyes were always burning from staring at screens, my shoulders and back ached, and I was constantly yawning.
I know there are various definitions of slow writing, but for me, it means taking care of my body and releasing the pressure to do more and write faster.
Slow writing recognizes when it’s time to take a break from writing my memoir to keep jotting down interesting ideas and memories.
Slow means seeing what my writing community is up to and connecting with them through their newsletters and stories.
Are you a slow writer? What does slow writing mean to you? I would love to hear your thoughts!
I'm glad I read this one today! I write two Substacks, and have been burning myself out to be consistent on both of them (weekly). Might be time to slow down and rethink. It's tough to rush creative, thoughtful work, and I recognize that I am trying to cram it in. What's your cadence like, and do you have paid subscribers? This is part of my wrestle—wanting to be consistent for my paid supporters.
Thank you for introducing me to the notion of “slow writing.” Now I know what to call my approach to composition!