Kill Writer's Block
Savvy Saturdays (4/3/21)
One of the most difficult things to do as a writer is to get over the hump of writing—the slumps that arise every so often.
There are many tips in order to better handle Writer’s Block.
Some people say to take some time away and let the idea simmer like chili.
Others share that you need to get rest and take a nap, so you have the energy and motivation later.
But one of the best ways to get out of writer’s block is weirdly enough, to just to start writing and to write whatever comes to your mind.
This action does two-fold work.
First, it allows you to get all your thoughts out. Get random thoughts out. Heck, go stream of consciousness.
This allows you to be able to empty your mind of any unrelated thoughts, get the brain juices flowing, and allow a pathway for you to write the words that need to be said.
Secondly, it allows you to have an enormous amount of topics, ideas, and content already written out which you can easily sort through.
Then with all those thoughts, you have the ability to edit down your thoughts, delete anything that isn’t related, or save what you wrote for other purposes.
In other words, write like a peasant, but edit like a king.
Focus on quantity first.
Your goal is to get as much as you can out, so you have a lot of material to work with.
Afterwards, focus on quality.
Remake what material you have into the masterpiece you want to create.
Because the biggest blocker to writer’s block is that you get stuck in your mind and end up thinking more, and executing less.
By writing through writer’s block, even if your content may not be related to the topic, you’re executing & have something to potentially work with, instead of nothing at all.
So go out there, and kill writer’s block.
Remember to write like a peasant, and edit like a king!
Questions to ponder: 🤔
In what areas in your life can you focus on quantity first, before focusing on quality?
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Weekly Collections
A collection of resources for you to enjoy… 📰 🎬 🎙️
What You Need More Than Self Confidence - Faith
Objection #1: Humility makes you gloomy, dismal, downcast, unhappy.
No, gospel humility frees you from the need to pose, calculate, posture, sniff out what others think, so that you’re free to laugh at what is really funny, with the biggest belly laugh imaginable that makes your face contort and look ridiculous.
…
This is a freedom that can only come to the humble. Proud people don’t get red in the face and fall off their chairs with contortions of laughter. They will maintain their dignity.
Well, in the parable of the prodigal son, when the father saw the son coming, he pulled up his robes between his legs and he ran. An old man ran (Luke 15:20). I disagree with the objection that being humble makes you gloomy. I think it frees you to be the happiest person you could possibly be.”
Salary Negotiation: Make More Money, Be More Valued
You can trivially pick up $5,000 in salary negotiations just by sucking less.
“Imagine something a wee bit outside your comfort zone. Nothing scandalous: just something you don’t do often, don’t particularly enjoy, and slightly more challenging than “totally trivial.” Maybe reciting poetry while simultaneously standing on one foot.
If I told you I would pay you a hundred thousand dollars if you did five minutes of poetry recital while standing on one foot, would you do it? It’s an absurd image, but play it straight. There is no hidden gotcha here. You won’t be videotaped. Your friends will never see you make a fool of yourself. The revolution will not be YouTubed. The offer is exactly as simple as you think it is: poetry, foot, $100,000.
Would you read poetry for me?
Of course you would.
This is pretty much how I feel every time I talk to my engineering friends about salary negotiation.”
The “Jack Reacher” of Software - Twitter
Weekly Tidbits
Learnings, verses, & quotes to chew on… 🧐
Verse of the Week
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.”
—1 Corinthians 15:10
Challenging Quote
"I love learning. I judge most opportunities by how much I can learn from them"
—Arvid Kahl
Weekly Update
Personal life stuff… 🔔
Hello friends,
Greetings from Austin! 👋 Let’s jump right in!
No highlights for this week. Everything is going to be more long-form, so hope it’s enjoyable for you readers.
I’ve been heads down with focusing on my full-time work and got some of the worst headaches due to coffee withdrawals, so my entrepreneurial side hasn’t had much progress, besides networking with people on Lunchclub. (It is what it is though)
Additionally, my roommates and I have been touring apartments, and we’ve almost found our place! Hoping to finalize details in a couple of weeks.
On a more pondering note, this week has been Passion Week with my church, so there’s been a lot of reflection on my own faith. The work that Jesus has done is always a good reminder—something I can’t fathom at times.
This weekend has been good as I’ve been humbled reflecting on what He’s done—how much he’s suffered for us to provide us a new life through His death and resurrection.
I’m excited for Easter Sunday, as all the truths and promises are confirmed through it!
(This song Jubliee, by the way, has been water to my soul)
Back to the non-faith stuff, I’ve started to mentor several peeps in UT Austin’s CS & Business honors program. It’s been fun getting to know each other, and I’m excited to share about the SWE path and all that can be done with it!
A final thing to note, I’ve started to play a lot more Smash Ultimate!
(I’ve enjoyed playing a reptilian kingster called King K. Rool)
I’m still a noob, but countless games with roomies and several friends have revived the gamer in me.
Just wait, y’all. Before you know it, I’m going to become the top Smash player in Austin.
All that aside, here are several selected pics from the past week: 📷
Thanks for reading through all of this, and partaking in the newsletter. Means a lot to me!
Pplease stay safe, keep on being savvy, and I hope to see y’all in the next update 😊
Eric
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I always give myself the permission to write a crappy 1st draft lol. It's a lot better than staring at blank piece of paper or screen.