Cure Writer's Block (for Musicians/Songwriters) - The Business of Music #4
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Hey welcome to the business of music my name is sean mccabe I'm joined by my brother Ryan, McCabe, Ryan, how's. It going welcome to the show good to be here alright. So kind. Of talking a little bit beforehand, some some. Talking, points we want to talk about a little bit on writing which, could pertain to actual. Lyric writing and Composition but, also. What. You're doing right now with, publishing music videos once a week you know really, dialing, that in and then, if you're another. Talking point is like if you're satisfied with that you know that level of execution do you want to commit to more what's that look like, where. Do you want to jump in. Actually. Real quick before we even get into those there's one more topic that I wanted to bring up we. Talked about. Whether. You, know kind of the metrics of what the results I was saying from. Uploading. Just a random video or something that was trending and when, I went with something that was trending I've looked, at the numbers so far it, was 18. Times more, views, that I got I broke, it down to a number but. Yeah. So I felt like that was probably something, that I feel like I should definitely focus on and stick with hmm, just because it provides, just that much more traction and like you'll get more engagement. In the comments section that you know that actually provides places, that you can engage with people, been, seeing more subscriptions come in that way I've actually looked at the metrics of it but I'm pretty sure it's tied into that. Anyways. That was a cool thing to happen so they're talking about that well yeah that is really exciting I would say let's just talk about that while we're here I mean, my thought is. Do. That like do that as much as you can I just, don't want you to reach a point where there's. Nothing trending, or you don't know what to do so it's like I'm not gonna post a video it's, like we want to have a baseline to fall back on so. It's like okay I commit. To showing up I'm gonna produce something, but. I don't see I don't see any problem with like filling. Up as much of your queue of content, with trending, stuff I think that's just smart, yeah. Oh good. All right simple yes. It. Does it is more time, and energy because ideally. It's something that like. It'll. Be brand new obviously. So it's something that you have to just like really, buckle, down and learn yeah, but. That's part of the like if you commit to show up regularly, you're. Building the muscles so you're like I'm, gonna be making something so it's like all right you know cool I was gonna do this random song or improv but this. Is the thing I need to make right now I'm gonna practice that and crank it out like for, me with doing Sean West TV and you. Know daily, episodes it's. Like I I, have all this content ready, to go in advance scheduled. You know it's gonna publish. But. If a hot topic comes along you know and it's like a, yeah, Neil oral type of thing you know like there's this thing tell. Me what you think of my my. Impression. Yeah. Annie. Laurie. Done good, Laura. Anyway. So. That was like a really big hot topic I followed, this guy he's, just like a small. Youtuber. Maybe like a couple, thousand, subscribers, just like, a couple, thousand I followed, him for a year, and it's for like you, know the most niche specific stuff, like I remember I was doing all this research on, like, you know I use a DSLR camera here how do you stream with that and there were these you know HDMI, to Thunderbolt, converters, Blackmagic.
And You, know he does like little individual, reviews, on super nerdy stuff like that you know SDI, cables. And. Actually. Give him a shout-out Doug Johnson productions. He's. Just a guy out of Utah he's, been building this, production. Studio, in a trailer, like. For live events and stuff he'll go out to do like a live, music event he's, trying to get any more like live sporting, events or you know conferences. Things like that but he's got this trailer he's just decked it out he he bought this trailer empty and like, fit, the whole thing like put, his own walls in runs, the wires behind the walls there's like screens there's an audio booth or replay booth you know an editing, booth like it's, it's just awesome and he's been like vlogging, the journey of this so, just a little YouTube channel he gets like a couple. Hundred views on these vlogs and I just love them they're just like. Delightfully. Technical, right, well. I noticed the other day so like, you again, I'm subscribed to him he, gets a few views a couple thousand subscribers, I thought. There's no way that this was him he made a video on the whole he, Annie vs. Laurel thing and because he's a super technical guy he understands audio he gives like the visual breakdown it was like he, just hopped on that and it said one day ago I don't, remember if it was two or three hundred thousand, views and. I, was like that's. This dude you know like I know him you know and, he just hopped on that I was like wow that's so cool but, if a topic, like that comes to wrong along, a hot story or whatever, because. I have the muscle and the setup you know already, built and ready to go I can, hop in here and I can just crank out a piece of relevant, content slip. That into the, the content, queue you, know just like I'll publish this day I'll publish this tomorrow and push everything else back. Anyway. That. Was kind of my little, anecdote, on that topic, two. Or three hundred thousand well that's. Awesome, so. Okay let's let's, talk a little bit about what you're doing right now you're you're sticking, to the, the weekly. Publishing, so, far you've been consistent, every single Wednesday new video there was one night I went to bed really late there's. 11:47. P.m.. And. There was no there was no Ryan video at 11:46. But at 11:47. P.m. there, was a Ryan video I'm like all right. Still. Wednesday. And. It's. Not an offence but I actually had everything, already uploaded onto, YouTube and everything I just hadn't published it and posted. It to social media, I had it sitting on my computer but I was out that whole day, didn't. Come back to it I probably could have done it from my phone now think about it anyways. Well. Yeah I should, have it ready and already published by Wednesday morning and that was my goal so. I feel like I kind of failed it but I still got it out on Wednesday but it was any didn't have it Wednesday morning, well I commend you for getting, it out I, also commend you for saying like alright I can be a little more diligent, about it to, get technical you know you can schedule YouTube, videos right. Alright, so today you learned. A. Little, little technical, detail. I've, learned if you upload, your videos and depending, on like your defaults, you might default, to like privacy. Status, like public, it, could be unlisted, or it could be private. What, you want to do is you probably already have this but upload. Default private, and if. Your video is uploaded as private. You will then have the option to select, scheduled. So when you go and edit it it's like you know status, you could change it to public or private but or unlisted, but also in there will be scheduled, what, I found is if your, video is currently, unlisted. You. Cannot schedule it to publish you, have to set it to private and then only once it is private, you can then schedule, it to be published so, interesting.
Now You know you can set the time zone the time the date all that stuff so you know, cool good, goal would be you. Know your deadline would then be Tuesday, to. Like upload, it and then schedule, it to publish at a specific time on Wednesday. That's, perfect yeah. Which is already what I did I had everything already good to go on Tuesday the day before and then just yeah. That's great so. Did you ever end up going through audience. Building course I. Have. Not actually okay. So. Uh audience. Building course calm for anyone watching that's free you, can grab that there's a link in the description that's. A free course I made on building, your audience but one of the things I talked about in there is creating, an editorial. Calendar so you've heard me talk about it here like building your audience I think in the in the second. Episode maybe, we'll put like a, link. In the card or something to the second episode of the, business of music this show Ryan and I do, we. Talked about building your audience you, know audience building course and I, said you know weekly, is the minimum you want to publish weekly, just to stay relevant, with people like, oh yeah that Ryan guy obviously. Daily. Is the goal of like ultimate, top of mind but. At the very least weekly. If you. Are gonna do weekly my recommendation. Is to have somewhere. Between four and six weeks of, content. Made. Scheduled. Ready to go so. Like ideally, about a month so you just need four pieces of content if you're blogging for. Blog post if you're making YouTube videos for. YouTube, videos and the beauty, of publishing, or the beauty of scheduling, is you. Can have all those done in advance even if you're not home even, if you're on a trip you're. Good to go you know if you weren't able to record that week you're, good to go you can build that buffer back up so I kind, of wanted to revisit, that topic although, I suppose. I'll make the case for you a little, better an audience building course so you'll hear that but. My. Recommendation, is set. A goal of getting four done. And. The. Simplest, way to get there without just like okay. I need a whole day to record four in advance is just. Change, the goal of. You. Know you're doing once a week change, it to I'm gonna make two a week now. You still only publish one but, in a month's time you'll, have four. You. Know extra. Episodes, saved up, in, deja vu we might have talked about this last show I think - so maybe we did um good.
Reinforcement, That okay. So. Yourself. That build, towards that right yeah, yeah. That's what it was I remember and then yeah. That's what happened so I actually ended up doing - that's what it was I ended up doing two videos that week, but. I thought it was one of those like trending things so I didn't save it for, like, later. On I just was like well I'll put it out now and ride the wave, exactly. What it was so I was working towards that and then I just got antsy because of attending and then just popped it out there so well, you want to say you want to say bye next next, week next time we talk you'll have done, - for, sure, and if I find something trending I'm gonna put it out but I will put something else back in the pipeline to replace it so oh good, you know good. Yeah. So that's what earns you the right by the way like a lot. Of people want to do daily coz, daily school but. It's extremely, hard and what's not cool is doing, daily for a few days and then falling off like. You want to stick with it right so you, have to earn the right to do daily how do you earn the right well. You need to do weekly first stay. Consistent, with weekly and build up a buffer. Like cuz you, don't want to be a KC nice dad about it and like edit. All night and published the next day like that's just it's, it's, insane it's not the life that you want to have it's hectic it's stressful, you, want to be prepared in advance so. By proving, to yourself I'm disciplined. Enough I'm committed, enough to, get some content made ahead of time schedule, that out once. You're consistent, with that for a bit then you can consider increasing, the frequency and, I would probably say do like twice a week rather than going like full. Daily. Alright. There. You want to talk about, you. Want to talk about riding next. Sure. So. It. Was two-part, but I was thinking. It's. Something that I want to get better at as far as riding and I'm it that's two part in that it's lyrical, lyrical. Writing but also you, know compositional. Writing and so. I know that you're big on writing you. Know just as far as words go and in general so maybe we can focus on compositional. Later but as. Far as the lyrical goes. You. Okay this is the quiz is what I've been trying to figure out. Because. I haven't been doing it but I recognized, the benefit, of just. Writing everyday, in general but, if I was to try and. Tack. On or, add in, addition to lyrical. Composition. Do. You feel that that should be. Separate. From. A regular, writing process, do. You think the issue me maybe back-to-back, like, maybe I do mind just kind of daily mind um writing stuff then I focus on lyrics or should it be kind of maybe maybe be more beneficial to, like. You. Know put, some space in time, in-between it you know to like you know block it out a little bit so have. You. Written. A song. Like. Both. Music. Lyrics. Mmm. Not. Fully that's, that's the worst part about it is like I'll get little ideas and you know maybe this part in that part but I've never actually. 100%. Put. Something all together it's always fragmented, so far you think you have what it takes. For. Sure you think you can do it. Absolutely. No question okay then I would say before. We talk about the ideal process, because, process. Is derived. From the, work like. This is something I'm teaching, in client. Work essentials, you know recently. We had a module. On our, lesson, especially on. Creating. Your process, how do you create your process, well. You go back to, the most recent. Project, that you're proud of that, went really well and you. Break down how, that went so. If you have done a project you go to the you, go to the one you're most proud of and of the ones you're most proud of you go to the most recent because hopefully you're improving and getting better and streamlining, if you, haven't, done a project then. The first step would be to do a project rather than try and come up with a process for something you haven't done. Just. Do right so like within the realm of client. Services, you. Might do a project for a client, but. It could be chicken in the egg Oh what if I don't have a client I'm trying to make a case study and build.
My Process so I can work with clients but I haven't worked with clients yet it's, like okay well, then you have two options you, can either do pro. Bono project, meaning you do it for a client, and. You do it for free or you do a personal project now, in your case we're not necessarily talking, about client services so it would probably just be a personal project but. That would be the first place I go it's like do. A personal, project and, then, automatically. You're gonna find things that, didn't. Go the way you wanted them to or you can improve you know and so like I would, say do at least one maybe, two, or three before. You, like reach, a point where you're, proud of how it went and you feel like this went well and then, once you have that I'd. Start to derive a process, from it so I say all that to say I don't, know that I can tell you which because. Honestly. There are artists who do both, some, people start with music and add. Lyrics other people's with lyrics and music and it's it's, really up to you some people gravitate, more towards, one than. The other in all of their songs some, people have, some songs that start, with one or the other you know it's like it changes, for them. So. To. Recap and then I'll add one more thing to it. Do. A project. Completely. From. Start to finish and, he. Could continue, doing projects, until you feel like it went well then. Then we'll start to pull a process, from it. In. Achieving. That I would add that you. Want to capture, log. As many ideas as possible did, you ever go through the. 30 days to better writing course, that I did. I'm. Gonna put myself on full blast I think, I made it today twenty-something. Towards the middle and never actually got that's. Pretty good that's pretty good twenty-something, is very bad. Not. Good enough all right well, but. It's. Some, people make it to like day six so anyway. That that actually has very very, high, revisitation.
Value, A lot of people like to go through that multiple times if. You're watching or listening to this thirty days to better writing is a 30. Day course that I have on helping you build a writing habit obviously. We're talking about lyrical, writing musical writing but, so much of that applies. Including. Some of the things that I'm gonna mention in a second. That's at 30 days to, better, writing. Calm. It's also for free in our, membership so members they, get access to that for free and they've written millions, of words as a result of that course one, of the things I talk about in there is logging. Your ideas, so. The. Mark of a novice is showing. Up to a blank page with. A blinking, cursor, it's, just it feels too overwhelming like, what, do I you, know what do I do here what are right with, the. Pros they're. Capturing, ideas logging. Ideas at all times so we can come up this from the lyrical or the musical, perspective. But like you, know. Uh you. Know I was watching. An interview like with a musician, recently, and you know he's like, he's just kind of talking about had this like really popular song was made he's like you do you, know he's like making the sounds. With his mouth but it's like you totally, he obviously, he's great at what he does but like you totally knew what notes he was he, was talking, about he's a musician you know he was like he was really hitting the notes not just like whistling. Aimlessly, and and, if, you just pull out your phone and capture. That like you're driving or something you know just like start. The record like I I think. Did I mention the just press record on here no that was in that was in a different class I don't, know if you have this Ryan it's. An app called just, press record. Have. You seen this I have. Not okay this is an iOS app, just. Press record you gotta look it up. It's. Great like you here's, the cool thing like I'll show you it's, on my phone you. Pull it up and just. Boom you know there's the red button ready to go you're like okay big deal voice memos has that you know why do I need to separate out well, you start recording and when you're done you, not only have an item, here that you can tap and play, and listen to but, it transcribes, what you said now, that's, pretty cool, and and, you could you can export it and let you export audio. Transcript. Or both send. It to know it send it to Dropbox send it in a message whatever that's, all cool here's, what got me to buy it it, also. Has, an Apple. Watch app. But. Not just app a complication. Meaning. Like in the, corner here not, only does tapping, the complication, in the corner go to the app it. Starts, recording one. Single. Tap from. My wrist in the corner of my watch at any time immediately, starts, recording and will, automatically, get transcribed, so, whether, these. Are lyrics to a song or. Like. A hook you know riff a melody, or whatever boom, like you. Can be driving and you tap the corner of your watch boom it's recorded, seconds. Later it automatically, gets transferred to your phone like that's. Huge brilliant, so this was like maybe five bucks but I would I would have paid anything for it so. Especially. For those of you who have Apple watches I know you do Ryan that's, really huge so just, log. Capture. Ideas as you go so there you go. That. Way when you do sit down and, you do carve out the time, and. I, think that should be that, should be dedicated actually, I'll go on a little little, tangent, there it'll. Be productive. When. You do sit down to, write, lyrical. Or music. You. You pull, from these ideas you pull from this list this catalogue, you, don't start from a blank page you, start from a jumping-off. Point oh here's, a few here's a few words, that I want to include in a lyric here's a thought or an emotion that I had here's, a little riff that I hummed you. Know what what can i what can I make out of that right you're starting. From something it's a springboard, so, it's never just a blank page with a blinking cursor. And I. Was saying when you when you sit down to write when you when you have this this time, that. Time should be consistent. It should, be dedicated you don't, write when you have something to say you write, to find out what you have to say so. It's showing, up right and I like to use what I call the. Focus triangle, so. Three things you've got device. Location. And time. So. What I mean by that is like okay you got it your desktop you got your laptop you got your phone you know all these different devices maybe got an iPad. Which. Device, do you use for a specific task, and. I would encourage you if you. Have you. Know you're like oh I can I do everything on everything okay well what do you mostly, do on one, do you mostly, watch.
YouTube, And browse reddit on your phone do, you mostly, work and do email on the desktop like figure, out what you mostly do try. And pick a device that. Can be dedicated, to your writing could. Be your iPad could be a laptop could be your desktop could be your phone with a Bluetooth keyboard whatever, it is pick. A device, and stay, consistent, with it because it's gonna help you like separate, and and get into those mode, right it's. Just gonna help you associate. That act with, words. That are flowing the, second thing is. Location. So. You may need to experiment with this or you may already know where, do you get your best ideas where, have you done your best writing where do you have the most focus, could, it be in your room oh that's super boring I mean when I started writing my book I had this romantic idea of I'm, gonna go to the Pacific Northwest ran, a cabin, for a month and like, sit on the porch and like there's gonna be like leaves, falling, down like turning all the different colors and it was like yeah, right like, I had this romantic idea and then. James. Clear who was I was talking to about this he says where, do you get your best writing done and I was like oh by far at my home office like I'm just focused on Minnesota and, I was like oh. So. I have to sit home and do the boring work of like alright well this, is where I'm able to crank out five eight ten thousand, words a day you know so where you must productive is, it at your home office is it at work is it at a coffee shop is it. In your living room so. Location. Keep that consistent, and then finally time now. You use any one of these on their own it's it's it's, super, effective. You. Use all three of them together that's, where it gets really powerful, so, I write, every. Day at 6:00 a.m. maybe. You want to do 6:00 p.m. maybe you want to do 8:00 p.m., whatever, but where, it gets really powerful, is when you say I write on my laptop, in the living room at 6:00 p.m., that. Just like you're. In the zone. And. That's actually interesting because I actually wrote some stuff down in regards, to that so feel. Free to shoot it down but. One. Of the things that I feel like. Not. Only have I romantic, did I romanticize, the idea okay. I I feel. Like I didn't improperly, romanticize. The idea we'll put it that way, for. Me, maybe. It's just it's I don't. Know I've liked. I like, recording, I like. The variety of things, so, for instance. If. I if I try and play something in the morning I feel like the style, and the energy and the ideas are very, very very different to. Playing say, in the afternoon or to say playing late at night also, even whether, I play on my own digital keyboard that, will evoke a certain response or feel as. Opposed, to actually, going somewhere that has an actual grand piano, and. Also. Just the location like yeah in my room or. You. Know do I do I go to some practice, room to have a grand piano that I could play with and so part. Part of me part, of, me I recognized. And I totally agree with you night I think that you're completely right the device location and the time even. One of those is great all three of them boom powerful. But then part of me wrestles with like okay. But like the, variety that I, know that I have already bounced off of and kind. Of seen. The results firsthand of different, kind of creative energies, and forms and whatnot so. Part. Of me struck maybe I should just stick, with the same device location, and time as far as writing goes. What. Are you afraid of losing that, I'm. Afraid of losing just there's different, fists. Give us down hocus-pocus but, it's like there's, a different energy yeah, yeah depending depending, on the. Time of day and depending. On the. Location. And the type of instrument that I'm using and even, like you said you know joking about like if I could just see the trees and the leaves falling down like as. Cliches, that may sound I feel like it does elicit, a different response, from from somebody, while they're attempting. To compose their ideas, no I got you I got you and you're right like when, it comes to inspiration. And creativity it, is about the leaves it is about the, hocus-pocus you, know the the location.
The Energy, like that's, a hundred percent real that's a hundred percent legit, I I. Would just say separate. The idea of. Logging. An idea. And. Executing. On an idea. So. There. Are songs with different energies. And. Let's, let's say someone, else came up with it right you want to learn a party, or whatever you. You absolutely, very very, well can wake up at 6:00 a.m. and you can work on that song because it's just executing, someone else came up with it it's not like you have to like be. In the mood to come up with it it's like no the notes are the notes and the tempo is the tempo you can practice it as I am but, as far as like coming, up with the idea hey maybe you need to be at that late, night party, or you know watching the leaves fall you know and the in the evening or you know something like that it's like log. The idea whether, it's like humming, a riff, or a bar or. Writing. Down a lyric, when it happens in the moment but then have this list that, you execute. On consistently. Like, the ideas, that I had, for writing. The overlap, book they. Didn't all come at, 4:30, a.m. or, 6 a.m. like they, came in the moment they came you, know late at night after the conference, session, ended. And I'm talking, with someone you know out on the balcony like, when we're looking at the Stars or whatever like the. Ideas come from all over but. If I'm gonna crank out the words if I'm gonna execute it's like alright I need to wake up I need to be disciplined I need to go where I'm able to do the most productive work. Okay. So maybe maybe as, far as music goes then because it's like you know there's the writing element like the typing or there you know writing. Down the letter versus, actually hitting notes so maybe. Maybe. I come up with a specific time, every day. That's. Spent. On either practicing. Or. Actually, executing, an idea that I already know that I want to do and then. I can still leave myself open, to say coming. Back to it later at night even if it's the same exactly no time setting location, it's still my room perhaps but it's, something that I can. Come back later just, to like okay let's just you know get the creative juices flowing let's see what else can come from this moment but, as far as the actual.
Consistent. Absolutely I still feel like maybe there's there's there's, a time and a place for both in so. I yeah I'm with you on that yeah. Because there's there's like I know, the, story I want to write, my fiction, book and I know what I want the characters to do but I need to sit, down and just get the words out and edit them later or I, know the song I want to do I've got the energy I got the vision but, I need to practice this one really, tough part and get the fingering, down. So. You, know deliberate, practice versus. You. Know creative. Inspiration. Mm-hmm. That's. Good. So. We. Brought this up briefly just a second ago. As. Far as, writing. To come up with lyrics, do. You feel that that should I, do, okay do you feel that that should be or, could be just. What I write of for, the day like, say you have a daily writing routine you say okay on this day I'm just gonna write about lyrics for a song or. Do you think that that's something that it's like no if that's something that you want to become a master at and you want to do well at you should practice, writing lyrics every single day maybe. Perhaps even addition, to writing. Other things that, might be important, with just that kinda make sense am. I understanding correctly that, you, are, starting, with I, am. Gonna write lyrics every day but should I also write other things or are you starting with do. I need to even write lyrics every day. Let's. Do it the first I was I was working at outlets let's go with the first option though I think that's that's, good yeah so you see the benefit, of saying. I'm gonna write everyday and we'll see what comes of it but. Should you also write other things in addition to lyrics, is what you're wondering. Yeah. And I guess I'm answering, one question as I hear a bit yeah well, what do you think is the answer I think. Yes I should. Be writing other, things in addition to it you, can't just write lyrics I think that there's so much more that you could be doing well. Okay so I guess part it would be beneficial for, sure, you, could just write, lyrics. But. It. Does come down to your goals but I think you have more in you and it's, if that message of you. Don't write when you have something, say you write to find out what you have to say so. If you're saying alright I'm gonna write about this I'm gonna write about my experience, I'm gonna write about you know, my, journey or how I figured this out or how, you know my process, how I come up with ideas. What. I love about a certain genre or, you know just like whatever, like you have a lot of thoughts. And ideas and feelings and things that you can share and people will find that interesting. And that's that's, great content, you'll, also come to find what you have to say more like, you'll hone your message like, if anything in this. Call resonated. And it sounded like oh yeah that's really good like I've, not only said it a dozen or a dozen zuv times but. I wrote about it for months or years you. Know it's the it's that I know my, message and so the more you write the more you come to know what. Your message is and you can pull that out at, any time, so, I do think it's beneficial I, wouldn't. Go so far as to advocate, like you. Wouldn't want to advocate that someone does everything, that's beneficial, to them in life all at once it's like it would be beneficial to, have. Good posture you, know half of our audience just kind of like sat up in their chairs like. It. Would, be beneficial to, eat. Healthy, would be beneficial to exercise. It would be beneficial to have a riding habit it'd be beneficial to wake up early but, if. You give someone a picture of all of that at once it just feels overwhelming, so it's like start. With you, know writing. Lyrics whatever. It is whatever you can start with whatever you feel the momentum on go. With that and then, add. In other stuff later like don't try to do it all at once. If. You could expound upon this idea real quickly so you you've. Brought up two kind of ideas. Or notions one is that you don't write. Where's, the phrasing you said you don't write -, you. Like to wait hear what you have to say right you know you don't.
You. Know you. Got. Me. You. Don't wait to write until. You think you have something, to say that's the idea okay. It's. That you do have something to say and you have to find out what that is and you do that by writing. Okay. Maybe. It's a catch-22 but, how did how do you how. Does that idea work itself out with you're saying don't, just show up to a blank piece of paper though like you want to have an editorial calendar you want to know what you're gonna be writing about in advance so is it like do. You write to find out what you want to write about later but. I'm. Like no trying, to figure that out you know that makes sense I would. Differentiate, between. What. You intend. To share publicly and. You. Know there's so many benefits to writing one of one of which is just having a clear mind not. Using your brain as a storage, facility you. Know for everything, that you think and everything that you feel and do but. Try. To use your brain to process things, more and outsource, the sourcing I'm, sorry outsource the, storage, aspect, we have computers, now like you can write all that stuff down and it's stored and it's searchable and you don't have to think about it right. So. Just, write, to brain dump right, to process, right to figure out what your own feelings, are I write. A lot just. To. You. Know see what I think see, what I feel, see, what I'm going through like oh wow you know I didn't even think I would write that like it just came out you know oh that was in there and, so. It's kind of like okay well do I do, I write. For. Myself or, am I writing to publish. This publicly and the. Beauty is you don't have to know the answer to start, like. Just, just, brain. Dump right one, of the lessons I have in 30 days to better writing is helping, you do that it's it's a stream, of consciousness exercise. Whatever, you think, goes. On the page you. Don't get to edit it you don't get to censor it you don't get to audit it it's just if you, think it's, on the page whatever, the word is this is dumb I hate writing Sean's, weird like whatever is on your mind you just write it and it goes onto the page you edit it later like. Separate, the modes of writing and editing because when, you try to edit as you write you slow down your speed and and, you hold back a lot of what could be good or what could have been made good if you, weren't judging. It but before or as you're trying to get it out so, if you just go into stream-of-consciousness, that's, honestly what I do like I wake up I have. Things, to write for the day that I know are gonna be public that I know or do that, I know we're scheduled, that I know I need to write on but. I start, out with stream-of-consciousness. And a, lot of that ends up being private, and just, helping me process, like I feel, overwhelmed I just do a bullet list what, everything, I'm thinking of like. The silliest, things you know like I don't. Know, just. Whatever like uh like. I need. A floss or something i floss, every day by the way now I'm like hundreds, of days and I'm super but. Whatever it is right so I came up with it was like 30, bullets. 30. Bullets just like clear my mind and it felt irresponsible. At first like oh now I'm just letting them go like they're not things I should be thinking about but. I wasn't, thinking about them I wasn't. Thinking. Through, them I was just being overwhelmed, so getting it out of my head, was super helpful and then I could I could focus on doing what was the most important work of the day I could focus on writing about one, of those topics so. I start out stream-of-consciousness, brain, dump a lot. Of that's private, a lot, of that paves the way for writing, what goes public the beautiful, thing about writing is now. You have words and you can do anything with them you can edit them you can delete them you can repurpose them a lot, of times things that I wrote that stayed private for a long time I was, able to publish in the future because I wanted, to but.
I Don't have that option if I never wrote it in the first place. So. You would say that you is. That so is that a you said that's a daily practice is just to kind of brain dump at, first at least sometimes and then you kind of work yourself into what you had scheduled, for the day yes specifically. Um, specifically. If, I feel overwhelmed I will. Write down every, thought that I have I. Will. Write until I have no other thoughts that haven't been written down recently. That was like 30 like, I was holding on to 30, different things and, and. No-holds-barred, it's not like within the context of business or, like, it's just everything. Write, it all out that's. Really good to get rid of the overwhelmed feeling, and get a clear mind most. Days I would say I don't feel overwhelmed, in which, case I go into stream of consciousness writing or, journaling. You know some people would call it like what, did I do what's, important to me what have I done over, the past day what am i learning just whatever is on my mind, beyond. That and sometimes, it blends. Together because, what, I'm thinking about is what I already know I need to write on that's scheduled. Or that is going to be published and so, it just gets my fingers moving and I often, will just transition. Into writing whatever I needed to for that day. That's. Good I. Feel. Like there's a lot that I can, kind. Of take away from that and repurpose, into. Compartmentalizing. Things that's good. Cool. Mmm. I, feel like was there one more thing that we touched on earlier. That. We're gonna get to or touched upon in there I think, it was in. My notes when I have is like. You. Said, something about like if you were to increase the frequency it. You know something about me or obligation. And or commit to more, know. What. It was, honestly. I think we we, could talk about that and maybe we do at some point but, but before, before. You look at increasing the frequency you. Need, to get to the minimum buffer, for, the frequency, you're already maintaining, so, you're doing weekly so, you need to get four in the queue like until you do that no.
Sense In talking about twice a week or more. It's. Good it's. Fair to so. I mean to me I see like two, homework. Ideas besides thinking, through the whole writing stuff go. Through audience building course and. By. The next time we talk you'll have made two, videos one, of which is published the, other goes in the buffer. So eventually at. The least in four, weeks you'll have a good buffer if you, want to get ahead of that you know you want to do more video sooner that's cool too. Okay. That's. Just gonna give you a lot of freedom a lot of freedom to like you. Know chase a random, trending, thing, and like put you know put that to the head of the class or whatever right I'm gonna publish this next. True. You just have a lot more flexibility, because you can do that you can hustle and then take. It easy you know you don't have to worry about the next thing going on as long as you maintain that buffer. Mm-hmm. You. Said there's two things though homework, was audience building course and then the gist the other was the building the buffer yeah yeah. Yeah. Let me know how the writing goes and feel free to. Revisit. The writing course, excuse. Me planning. On it yeah our our. Sister, Emily is actually going through it so uh oh cool. Kid. You like have her as an accountability partner if you want to go all the way through or something I, think. The last hunt I think the reason that I like I, ended. Up stopping. Was. Fun, it was pure laziness that, it was like I was, enjoying the stream of consciousness thought but then you were like alright so now actually just you know get an editorial calendar, figure out what you're gonna write about I was like. But. No now it's realizing it nowt relevant. I'm. Good yes I I'm actually just gonna, add. That to my list but I'll go back home not to 30 days cool. Well. So I didn't wrap it up at this point then and. Check. Back in next week so, if you're new to Sean west TV go ahead and subscribe to, the channel hit, the notification, bell new. Videos every single day we, go live once a week so I would love to have you here otherwise. See. You tomorrow. You.
2018-06-09 21:12
THIS is the episode I needed to hear!
I am really enjoying this series. Very applicable-thank you!