Kelford Labs Daily: Less time not writing
Start and keep on til the end.
In his memoir, Life Itself, the late Roger Ebert shares “the most useful advice I have ever received as a writer.”
“‘One, don't wait for inspiration, just start the thing. Two, once you begin, keep on until the end. How will you know how the story should begin until you find out where it's going?’”
“These rules,” he wrote, “saved me half a career's worth of time and gained me a reputation as the fastest writer in town.”
But, “I'm not faster,” he insisted.
“I spend less time not writing.”
That’s the secret to people who write, or do any creative work, quickly. It’s not that they type particularly fast, it’s that they spend less time not typing.
They spend less time staring at the wall, scrolling through TikTok, or checking in on LinkedIn.
Instead, they get started, knowing that whatever gets written will be perfected in the edit, not on the first try.
If you’ve got website copy to refresh, social posts to write, videos to script, or ads to make, don’t wait for inspiration, just start the thing. And, as the advice goes, keep on until the end.
That way, you’ll know how to begin.
