Hi, I'm Esee Cup, and I've spent my career interviewing people about politics, presidential elections and some really tough breaking news.
But now I need a break and I think you do too.
So on my new podcast, Off The Cup, I'll still be interviewing people, usually famous and most likely my friends, but about life.
You know, the stuff that consumes us when we're not consumed by politics.
So come join me every Wednesday for some conversational self care.
Listen to Off The Cup on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts or wherever you get your favorite shows.
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio.
Good morning, this is Laura.
Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is that you can't edit a blank page.
So if you are writing something, just go ahead and get something down because you can always make it better if you have something to work with.
Today's tip is a version of a quote from Cass Sunstein, a professor at Harvard Law School and a prolific author.
He was interviewed by Penn professors Angela Duckworth and Katie Milkman.
The topic of their interview was behavioral science and public policy, but Duckworth and Milkman couldn't resist the opportunity to ask his secret to writing so much.
His response? You can't edit a blank page.
He continued, sometimes I think to myself, I have a project and I don't have any words and there's nothing for me to edit.
So why don't I put words?
And then I'll have something I can edit.
It sounds simple and logical and as a writer myself, I can tell you it is wise.
You can turn something into something better, but turning nothing into something is a different matter.
Best to get past the nothing stage.
So why not adopt these words, which I have heard attributed to other writers as well, as a motivational phrase for yourself.
You can't edit a blank page.
The next time you were having trouble beginning a difficult project to say these words to yourself, you can't edit a blank page.
So the sooner you get some words down, the sooner you can get to what will probably constitute the bulk of your work.
Now, there are a few tricks to help you get past the blank page stage.
The first is to lower your standards.
First drafts are almost always terrible.
So what? Carry on, go ahead and write something bad.
Another option for getting past the blank page is to realize that you don't have to start at the beginning.
Start anywhere you have something to say and then build around there.
A third option is to plan to visit the piece multiple times.
Let's hope you don't need to immediately publish whatever you crank out in the next 10 minutes.
If you plan for multiple sessions, that will lower the pressure for each time you touch the work.
This might mean jotting down notes in one sitting, writing in another sitting and editing in a third.
It might mean getting down ideas for a presentation in one sitting, creating the titles for slides in the next, completing the slides in the next setting and planning your talking points in the final one.
Once you get past the blank page stage, you have something to edit.
Now you can make progress turning what you've got into what you would like it to be.
But until you get to that stage, no real progress can happen.
So best not to sit on nothing for too long.
In the meantime, this is Laura.
Thanks for listening.
And here's to making the most of our time.
Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.
If you've got questions, ideas or feedback, you can reach me.
at laura, at lauravandercam .com Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia.
For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Hi, I'm Essie Kup and I've spent my career interviewing people about politics, presidential elections and some really tough breaking news.
But now I need a break and I think you do too.
So on my new podcast, Off The Kup, I'll still be interviewing people, usually famous and most likely my friends, but about life, you know, the stuff that consumes us when we're not consumed by politics.
So come join me every Wednesday for some conversational self -care.
Listen to Off The Kup on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your favorite shows.
I'm Sheryl Swoops. And I'm Tarika Foster -Brasby.
And on our new podcast, we're talking about the real obstacles women face day to day.
Because no matter who you are, there are levels to what we experience as women.
And T and I have no problem going there.
Listen to levels to this with Sheryl Swoops and Tarika Foster -Brasby and iHeart Women's Sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment.
You can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.
Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports.
