💡 Behind the Scenes: How To Turn Ideas Into Transformative Stories

The Madness and Methodology Of My Writing Process

With AI on the rise, finding your voice is more crucial than ever, and there’s nothing more unique than your personal stories.

A lack of stories to tell is never a problem. Everyone has a vast library of stories on the shelves of their psyche. Delivering a story? That requires skill. 

Recently, my imaginary friends inquired about my writing process. So I figured I’d write a post about it in case one of them becomes real.

What follows is the journey of how a subtle impulse inside my brain becomes a completed piece of writing. It’s split into two parts: writing and editing. 

I’ve enjoyed writing ever since I could remember, but this is the first time I’ve mapped out my process. I hope you find some nuggets in what follows.

Part 1: Writing

Here’s a picture of my imaginary friends and me taking a silly photo.

Establishing Intent and Direction

A clear intention creates a clear foundation. Without one, the structure lacks integrity. 

Starting with a clear foundation requires me to be grounded and focused - connected to my body and seeing through eyes of clarity.

This process looks different depending on the project. If I’m writing for a client, I ponder the given task. This requires me to think about the client I am writing for, as well as the customer avatar (I’ll often have my notes nearby). 

If it’s for my newsletter, intention usually starts with something that touched me deeply: a story, a perspective, a moment, etc. I’ll write about an idea I previously wrote down or an idea that is currently alive (usually the latter). If it didn’t impact me on a deep level, I don’t write about it. Once I’ve got the idea, it’s time to shut up and listen. 

The Art of Receptivity

Clear writing starts with clear thinking, which also means that a murky mind makes for a murky first draft. 

Writing is simply taking thoughts and organizing them into digestible words. To do this, I quiet my mind (to the best of my ability!) and listen for inspiration. 

I also need to connect to myself. I must be mindful and ‘bodyful’ [aware of my bodily sensations]. What does this look like? Eyes closed, I settle into my lower body and feel my feet on the ground as well as my pelvis on the chair. 

If I’m not grounded, I may pick up all sorts of thoughts that don’t support my intention. Focusing requires concentrating on one idea only, and to make progress on one idea, I temporarily abandon all others. 

Next, I bring my awareness into my chest and to my heart. Why my heart? Thoughts are slippery and often change on a whim. The heart whispers with great power. Like the ocean, waves of inspiration come and go. If my heart is open, I’m in a position that increases my chances of catching the coming waves. 

Once I’m grounded and settled in my heart, I can now listen without any hindrances from the analytical brain. Then, I empty myself - or attempt to. 

For example, I’m in “transcriber” mode as I write this. I’m not sitting around thinking about what to write, I’m simply in a mode of receptivity. I’m just writing out the thoughts that come to me. Oops, I just realized I jumped to step number 3…

Harnessing The Flow

Great writing often begins looking like a bowel movement the morning after a cheat day. 

Once I’m able to catch my coherent thoughts, the next step is to write them down. The first draft may be messy and that’s fine. The aim is to get the content out while the stream of creativity is flowing. If I’m in a time crunch, I may edit as I write, but I prefer to let it be a one-way street. 

The more distance you have as you write, the less you’ll need to edit later. The opposite is also true (I’ll get more into that in step 5). 

Maintaining a healthy distance for a long chunk of time can be tough, though, which is why we need breaks.

Recharging Creativity 

Timbuktu wasn’t built in a day. Neither are my posts (because let’s be honest, they have SO much in common!). 

Strategic breaks are great because staring at a screen is not the most fun thing to do, and the last time I checked, I’m not a robot. 

Studies show that the average human brain can only concentrate for 15-20 minutes at a time. I have ADD, so that cuts it down to 5 minutes. But I meditate a lot, so maybe that bumps me back to average. 

Needless to say, I rarely write for longer than 30 minutes at a time. If I do, there are usually consequences. For every 15 minutes of writing, I take a 5-minute break where I walk around, play guitar, stretch, etc. Sometimes I skip the breaks if I’m REALLY in the flow, but my creative endurance is much longer if I honor my breaks.

During breaks, I usually still have thoughts running about the piece I’m working on, but I do not engage in them. If they’re super loud or aggressive I just say, “Hey, thanks for your input. I know you’re trying to help, but right now we’re doing something else.” 

If it’s a REALLY good idea that I can’t resist, I’ll jot it down quickly and get back to my break activity. Then, a few minutes later when I return to my writing, I’ll revisit that thought. “Hey, what was your idea you just had? What did you want to add?” I’ve yet to forget anything using this method. Having imaginary friends probably helps! 

The Power of Distance (& Salad Dressing) 

If you can’t be objective about your writing, you’re in trouble. Being too close to your creation can lead to being enmeshed in it, which makes it hard to see it for what it is. 

After a few focus sessions and breaks, I’ve usually got myself a solid (or crappy) draft. Next, it’s time to take an even bigger break and let my editor - a.k.a. future me - do what he does best. 

Space works wonders because of what I like to call the “salad dressing phenomenon.” Stay with me on this one!

During the pandemic, I ate raw vegan for an entire year and got super into making my own salad dressings. I began to notice that towards the end of my batch, my self-critical voice would get louder. 

Like many chefs, I taste my food as I cook. Each time I’d taste the dressing, I’d compare it to the previous samples. By the 4th taste or so, I would be judging the crap out of my dressing! By the time the batch was finished, my inner critic would be rather noisy and obnoxious. 

“Ugh, it’s not good at all. I shouldn’t have added so much turmeric!” 

Next, I’d pour the sauce into jars, stick ‘em in the fridge, and try to forget about the fact that I wasted my time, money, and energy making such a low-quality dressing.

Then, the next day, I’d taste them again. To my surprise, they usually tasted amazing - WAY better than I had remembered!

This is for two reasons:

1. Marination. Molecules in the sauce rearrange themselves. Its flavor and aroma compounds continue to mingle together to produce new flavor molecules. 

2. My expectations fall away and I have objectivity. 

My friend Alan once gave me a quote after a music performance:

“The artist sees it for what it isn’t. The audience sees it for what it is.” 

On the day I make the dressing, I am too caught up in what the dressing is missing or lacking. The next day, I taste the dressing for what it is. Thus, I enjoy it more. 

Taking space from writing - or any creative project - allows for expectations to fall away which enables you to see things more clearly. It might even make the words taste better, too!

Part 2: Editing 

Bringing Out The Essence

Here’s a common misconception: editing is NOT about making it better, it’s about bringing out the essence. 

After taking space from my work, I’m now ready for the editing phase, which I truly love. Editing isn’t a “bettering”, though. I see it as an excavation. 

Better implies judgment and invites dualistic thinking. Who says it’s good or bad? Me? My readers? The voices of society that I’ve internalized? That’s a road I don’t want to go down, so I prefer to bring out the essence. 

To find the essence, I ask, “What is this really about?” and I look for ways to clarify and amplify the essence. 

Too confusing? I simplify. Too wordy? I shorten it. Too vague? I elaborate.  Educational piece of content? I bring out the core teaching. A story? I bring out the story arc and lesson. 

The result is still an improved piece, but by focusing on bringing out the essence, I’ve managed to improve the piece without needing to judge it or make it better.

The Brush Up: Polishing The Message

The best way to keep a reader is to not lose them. Confused readers rarely keep reading, so I’m always looking for places that could confuse the reader.

Simplicity is the antidote to confusion. To keep things simple and clear, I ask some variations of the following questions: 

Big Picture Questions: 

Does the entire piece have a focus or is it all over the place?

How can the core message of this come through more clearly?

Do the jokes, stories, or side tangents detract from the main message? 

Does it flow nicely? Does it read like a piece of music or is it choppy?

Is this section necessary? What’s the impact of deleting this passage? 

Empathetic Questions: 

Who is this for? Would it be easy for them to follow?

Are there any areas that could potentially confuse or lose the reader? 

Could any of this rub people the wrong way?

Is it possible to get my point across in a more kind and compassionate way? 

Does this empower the reader? 

How do I want people to feel while they’re reading this? Are my words in alignment with that?

Perhaps the most underrated button on the keyboard is the delete button, so if it’s not necessary or dear to my heart, I let it go. 

Once the message is clear and simple, it’s time to add in some humanity. 

The Spice Up: Doing What AI Can’t 

Some words and phrases harbor more aliveness than others. I don’t think AI will ever understand this. 

Once the piece is clean, clear, and valuable, I go back and add some life. 

Depending on the medium, I may put on my marketing hat and update the email subject line, tweak a word to evoke curiosity, or add some strong language. I may even sprinkle in some humor or add a funny GIF.

For one client, I’ll include a few Lord of the Rings References. If it’s a personal piece, I’ll drop in a dad joke, and if it’s for my accountant, I’ll delete all the swear words. 

For example: The other day I changed “I hope this email finds you well” to “I hope this email finds you adequately caffeinated and ready to conquer the day.”

In general, I try to write like I talk. If anything sounds too boring or robotic, I infuse it with humanity. Then, it’s time to do the thing that many humans struggle with.

The Give Up: Letting Go 

Words are just words. They don’t define who I am, they’re just something I created.  In my world, the point of writing is not to get any validation from the outside. The point is to share something true for me. 

Thus, the final step is to share! If it’s for a client, obviously I want them to like what I wrote, but I’m more interested in results. My clients and I both want the same thing: conversions, impact, engagement, and sales.

It’s their company and their brand, so they have every right to dictate the tone and style. I’ll only protest an edit if I think it will get in the way of our shared objective or if it contradicts another motive my client has previously expressed.

If it’s a personal piece, I may pause and acknowledge that I’ve written something worthwhile, but I never sit around and wait for external feedback. Later, if there are some comments or email replies, then great. It certainly lights me up! But when I truly enjoy the process itself, I don’t need anything else. 

If it touches people, great. If not, well, that’s out of my control. Either way, I’ve done my part. I’ve stayed connected to myself, had fun, and created something that I’m happy with. That’s more than enough :)  

The Process Doesn’t Matter, Enjoying It Does

Writing is like life: hard at times and best enjoyed while being present to the journey at hand. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about my writing process. Of course, this is my process, so it may not work for anyone else on the planet besides me. That being said, I hope you find my process valuable or at least slightly more interesting than your most boring neighbor. 

Also- I currently have the capacity for 1 more email marketing client. If you know anyone who is looking to scale their online business and would benefit from conscious copywriting and captivating storytelling, please pass this post along to them or have them email me at JeremyMGinsburg@gmail.com. 

If you don’t know anyone but still want to show your support, there is also an option to become a paid subscriber here on Substack. Any money you pledge supports me in creating more content for you. I won’t spend it all buying useless gadgets for my imaginary friends, promise!

Either way, I’ve enjoyed writing this for the public. If you have any questions, please let me know!

Okay, it looks like my imaginary friends have COMPLETELY disappeared. What a mind f*ck! They tricked me again. Oh well, this was worth it :)