Writer: Think Before You Do

Hey, do you know the fundamentals of baseball? They’re simple—you throw the ball, catch the ball, and hit the ball.

That’s it. HOW WELL you execute those three skills determines if you make it into the Hall of Fame.

There are only 2 skills needed to be a Hall of Fame Writer. Learn how to do those things well; fame and fortune can be yours.

THINK: The First Writing Skill

What are the two essential pillars of effective writing? Simply put: Think and Do.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough once said, “Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly. That’s why it’s so hard.” He’s right. If writing feels hard, you’re probably doing something right!

Think clearly, and write brilliantly. It sounds easy, right?

But how often have you sat down, opened your laptop, and expected a masterpiece to burst forth like lightning from your fingertips? Unfortunately, it rarely happens that way.

Great writing begins with what I call the Big Think. Here’s how it works:

First, Capture Your Thoughts Immediately

Your mind generates countless ideas daily—like popcorn kernels bouncing around inside your skull. You think, “That would make a fantastic blog post or book!” And then, poof, the idea is gone.

The trick is to capture those kernels before they vanish. Keep a notebook handy, or use an app on your phone.

Many creative people keep notepads by their beds because inspiration loves striking in the middle of the night. Believe me; I’ve lost enough great ideas at 3 AM to know!

Next, Process Those Ideas (The Soft Research)

Once you’ve captured an idea, it’s not ready for the spotlight. You must nurture it a bit more:

• What do you already know?
• What’s your opinion, and is it strong enough to share?
• What about the topic intrigues you?
• Do you know someone who could offer more insights?

In some of my books and articles, I have called this process “skull-diving.” It’s when you dive into your brain and immerse yourself in your submerged knowledge. You revisit what you already know.

You don’t know what you already know until you swim in your own thoughts for a while.

Then you have to write them down to have some order—a map to follow. Stream-of-consciousness writing without a clear direction is like driving at high speed on a flat tire—exciting until it isn’t.

Then, Do Some Real Digging (The Hard Research)

Soft research gets you started, but hard research gives your writing credibility and depth. Nonfiction writers especially know this; accuracy is vital. You’re the play-by-play baseball commentator, describing the action accurately and vividly.

For fiction writers, detailed research is your color commentary. In baseball, the second person in the broadcast booth enriches the game by adding details about the players and the plays.

That kind of researched background breathes life into your setting, characters, and historical accuracy. Think costumes, architecture, slang—these details draw readers into your fictional world.

I personally love iseek.ai for deep digging and fact-checking. It categorizes your search results into neat clusters, perfect for writers who crave clarity and speed. It’s also a great way to fact-check ChatGPT. NOTE: Access iseek.ai at iseek.com. Using the .ai referrence takes you to the parent site. You want iseek.com.

As we see, you can focus your search in general or focus on medical, education, or finance. Selecting education is often suitable for writers because your search also shows available videos, books, and PowerPoints.

In this example, I picked finance  and searched “Is Bitcoin a Good Investment?”

 

Notice Arrow 1 returns 135 items in the news, 43 on social media, and 31 on the web. Click on the icon you want, and results appear under Arrow 3.

They list items by published date, topics, hashtags, organization, location, and people. You get a wealth of information to trigger your thinking.

Remember, trust but verify. Always double-check your facts. Your readers deserve accuracy, not guesswork, and a tool like iseek.ai speeds the process.

Now let’s dive into the second pillar: “Do.”

The Big Do—Turning Thoughts Into Words

Thinking alone never created a best-seller. It’s the “Do” that turns those brilliant ideas into reality.

First, toss out the idea of “writer’s block.” I like to joke that writer’s block is just a fancy term writers invented to sound mysterious. Writing is binary—you’re either writing or making excuses. Choose wisely.

Your job as a writer is straightforward, even if it’s not easy: Transfer thoughts clearly from your mind to your reader’s mind. It’s not just about expressing yourself; it’s about connecting emotionally and intellectually with your audience.

Albert Einstein famously said, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” That’s your benchmark. If your reader struggles, you still have work to do.

For most of us, this means Do, Revise, and Do Again. The first draft is your starting point, not your finish line. Imagine building a house; would you move into it after just hammering a few boards together?

No way. You’d want plumbing, electricity, paint—the works.

Revisions add depth, clarity, and polish. Don’t confuse revision with copy-editing. Revision is reshaping your ideas, rearranging thoughts, and refining clarity.

The revision stage is the most overlooked phase of writing today. Only after thoroughly revising your manuscript should a copy editor step in to check grammar and punctuation.

One more thing: let go of perfectionism. Aim for excellence, not perfection. Perfectionism is exhausting and impossible, while excellence is achievable and satisfying.

Keep the “Do” Cycle Going

Writing is a joyful, relentless cycle. Think, Do, Revise, Repeat. It’s like hitting the ball and running the bases to increase the score. Each time you do it, you build confidence and skill.

Think and Do are inseparable pillars of writing. Reflect on your writing process. Are you balancing these two pillars equally?

Remember, every writing project starts with a single thought and ends with action. Challenge yourself to think clearly and deeply first. Then, take immediate, determined action—no excuses.

The result? You’ll create work that resonates deeply with readers and brings you lasting fulfillment.