Everything Wrong With This Newsletter

When I sit down to write, it always takes me about an hour to write the first sentence. I spend so much time thinking how the essay will flow, how I should start to grasp the attention of the reader, how I can cover my ideas in a concise manner. But what I’ve noticed from some of my essays is that the harder I try to make it just right, the further away I drift from quality. When I try to put all the pieces in just the right spots, almost always it feels like the narration is broken into chunks rather than flowing like a river.

The problem is that I’m trying too hard to improve my writing. I try experimenting with different topics and writing styles. I spend too much time writing that one perfect sentence that is supposed to blow your mind. Doesn’t work. And when I try to write in a certain way, it happens so that I lose my authenticity. Striving for improvement is good, but it cannot be forced. It comes in a natural way, at a natural pace.

So, with this piece, I will not structure my sentences in an ideal way. I’ll just go with the flow and see what happens. And wow this is hard!

Anyways, let me share some observations on what I’m doing wrong with this newsletter, how I can improve my writing style, maybe add a bit more value to you, the reader, and most importantly, be true to myself.

I cannot stick to a single idea

My mind is always full of ideas. When I write, I find it hard to focus my essay on a single idea. So more often than not, my writing seems to drift away from the topic at hand. This reduces the impact of the main point I’d like to make. It happens subtly but it does happen.

I give minimal context

When I talk about a certain idea, I come directly to the conclusion. Like this is right, and that’s how it’s supposed to be. But what I forget is that the idea formed in my head over months and years of time. I had tons of context and evidence that developed the idea in my mind. When I say it directly, in a single line, how can I expect the reader to resonate with it?

I still don’t have a proper theme for this newsletter

I mean sure it’s “Weekly Meditations” and I’m writing about my thoughts and experiences from the week or in general. But the essay topics can vary too far away sometimes. It’s not entirely bad because I get to experiment with a range of topics. But for the reader, they may never know what to expect each week.

I fail to bring out the essence

With a vague word limit of 500-words, I am forced be super economical with my words. That’s a good thing, it challenges me to be concise. But sometimes it backfires. In order to be concise, I remove certain parts of the essay that I deem unimportant but are essential for the reader to make sense of the idea. I fail to compress my work in a way that the core of the topic, the essence remains.

My writing process isn’t the most productive

As an amateur, my process is simple. I go to a cafe and order a coffee. As long as I’m sipping, I think and let my mind wander. I hope that I come up with a topic to write about and I usually do. Then I write about it in a couple of hours (which sometimes extends until midnight). It works fine but it often leaves very less time for actual writing.

Ideally, I should take a note every time a thought strikes (like most real writers out there). This will allow me to pick out a chit and get to writing about it immediately, giving me more time and hopefully improve my writing.

But it will cost me a lot of attention and make the process less enjoyable? So I may or may not do it. Let’s see.

I shy away from bringing out my authentic self

Sometimes, my essays are good. They are written just as I think about the topic. They flow naturally. I just know that I’ve written a good piece.

But other times, I write about the things that I should think. There comes a point where I’m so stuck that either I can quit and not publish, or I can finish what I started and publish. As a rule, I have to put out even the worst of my pieces, so I can’t help it. What happens in these pieces is that I write about the idea in an ideal way, even though I’m not really sure if I agree with or understand it.

These pieces haunt me at night.

I take this newsletter too seriously

If you read my Thailand blog, you will notice how casual the language is. It’s written as I talk. But when I write an essay here, I write as if someone’s giving me marks. I feel as if I’m bound to make a point. I feel like I’m supposed to write a certain way to be taken seriously.

I mean yes, I love writing those sophisticated sentences. But at times, they just sound impressive and fail to add any real value. Guess I’ll be more picky about using them.

That’s about it I guess. Maybe there’s more to improve but let’s not be too critical. The important thing is to remember why I started this newsletter — it’s a place where I can come every week, make sense of my thoughts and share them with you. As long as the purpose is clear, as long as I keep showing up to write, I think improvement I’ll figure out anyhow.

Do you have any feedback for this newsletter? Share by replying to this email or commenting on the website!

I’ll see you next week :)
Aachman