First Right, Then Left

No, I’m not talking about which way to look when you’re crossing the road. (That definitely wouldn’t be useful for a global internet audience because it depends on which country you live in.) I’m talking about using your brain when you’re writing. And for writing, regardless of where you live, I suggest “first right, then left” is definitely the way to go.

I don’t know how much you’ve heard or read about the differences between your left and right brains, (or the left and right hemispheres of your brain – take your pick on the terminology). In simple terms, your left brain is purportedly analytical and logical, and your right brain is creative. 

What’s this got to do with writing? To write well, we need to be analytical and logical. And we need to be creative. 

The problem is we humans appear to suffer from a design flaw. When we’re using one side of our brain the other doesn’t really get a look in. It seems to be impossible for us to use both sides effectively at once. 

• When you write, do you find yourself stopping to fix spelling errors as you go?
• Do you stop mid-sentence of mid-paragraph to make sure your grammar is correct?

These are left brain, analytical functions. They’re absolutely essential for good writing, but think about it … stopping and correcting seriously interrupts the creative ‘flow’.

The good news is there’s an easy way to get around this. Write first, then correct. Right first. Before I discovered a technique to switch my left brain off, I used to always correct along the way. Consequently I often lost my train of thought, had brilliant ideas (well, I think they were brilliant, but I’ll probably never know) that are now lost forever. When I see an error, I want to fix it. Immediately. I still find it hard to ignore an error that has flowed from my fingers onto my laptop screen. As soon as I see the error, my left brain leaps into action.

The simple solution: write first (right first). When you want the flow, when you’re working to get the ideas down, don’t look at what you’re writing. Cover your screen. Give your creativity free rein and get the ideas down. Resist any temptation to “correct as you go”. If you can’t see the mistakes, the voice in your head saying, “You can’t leave that there, it’s wrong, fix it now”, doesn’t get a chance. 

Once you’ve got the ideas down, let your critical, analytical self take over. Put the ideas in a logical order, search for the most appropriate vocabulary choice, fix the spelling errors and correct the grammar. Your writing will thank you for it.