Write Now or Later?

While I believe in deadlines and writing regularly, I know that some writing is better done immediately while other is better done later. The latter is the moment “recollected in tranquility.” The former is in the moment and may or may not be emotionally charged.

I say that because when I write “in the now” it’s rarely because I’m upset. It takes a great deal to get me to that particular point, and it’s one that is more often communicated on paper than in print – mostly because it’s emotional and completely incoherent. Writing “now,” for me, has more to do with being able to capture details, such as the ones that occur during an interview or while attending a speech. Some of those events don’t lend themselves to audio recordings, so I try to write about them as soon after they occur as possible. I’ll still remember the nonverbal cues that attended what was said and be able to communicate that in how I write a passage. I can follow the leaps found within my notes, which I won’t be able to do a week or so later. I’ll have to retrace my steps and try to figure out why I wrote down a certain word and underlined it twice. It was important at the time, but why? The answer eludes me if I delay too long in writing down the words.

Writing “later” is for more thoughtful writing. It’s the time of the essay or the poem, some of which take a great deal of time before they find their way to the printed page. They aren’t ready to be shared with the world, or the ideas are still half-formed. They need to grow more. They need to be associated with other things. The sting of anger or grief still needs to subside before the words can become coherent and be of benefit to another. Sometimes, the words simply won’t come – perhaps a case of writer’s block but more likely an instance when other words need to find their way onto the page. When that happens, I let the words that come “now” to take their place on the page, and I let the others rest. I know they’ll come later.

Image: Kat (Creative Commons)