Reflections on writing with Sarah Greesonbach….

Reading time: About 2 minutes

Sarah Greesonbach says she likes “scooping the raw brain juice” out of her mind to produce a messy first draft. Read this interview to learn more about what else she does to make writing interesting…

Sarah Greesonbach is a writer, teacher and business coach and the founder of B2B Writing Institute.

I was excited to talk to her about how she approaches writing. 

Q. Roughly how much time do you spend writing every day?

It depends entirely on the day. M/F I tend to focus on deep work, reading in my field, or getting out a huge first draft. T/W/Th I’m mostly on coaching calls.

Q. What’s a simple activity or habit that makes you a better writer?

Keeping a common-place book for quotes from whatever I’m reading. It helps me reflect on what I read and also remember it better.

Q. What interferes with your writing?

I decided to procreate,and it didn’t really occur to me they would live on my forehead for the rest of time.

Q. How do you persuade yourself to sit down to write on days when you really, really DON’T feel like doing it?

I have given up this fight. If my body and mind are in agreement I can’t write, then I can’t write — I go do something else.

Q. Is there a particular motto or saying that you’ve found helpful for writing?

“It isn’t for the moment you’re struck that you need courage but for the long uphill climb back to sanity and faith and security.” – Anne morrow Lindbergh, 1932

It’s more about life, but looking at it now I can see that this is also true for that first flash of an idea in your writing. Getting that flash just happens – but you need courage to bring it to life.

Q. Which stage of the writing process do you enjoy the most: researching, writing or editing/rewriting and why?

I love scooping the raw brain juice out of my mind and getting it on the page in a messy first draft, especially if it’s personal writing. Then the runner up is rewriting. The feeling of writing while inspired is second to none!

Q. What’s the best book you’ve read (either fiction or non) in the last five years?

The Inner Game of Tennis, by W. Timothy Gallwey has astonishingly excellent advice for careers that rely on learning, concentration, and self-direction. Skip the second half, as it’s actually about tennis.

Q. What book are you reading right now?

Madness, Rack, and Honey by Mary Ruefle is layered like a delicious onion of insight into prose and poetry.

Q. What do you think is the biggest misperception that new writers have about the act of writing?

Qualifications come from your willingness to help and your writing ability. Expertise comes later with clips, etc. My only qualification for HR writing (which I’ve now been doing for 10 years) was that I had applied for jobs before.

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