Scribbling It Out

I write a lot, and I always have. I prefer word processing to handwriting usually, because I get annoyed at how much I scribble over things when I write.

I don’t use an eraser, even if I’m using a pencil. What’s the point? An eraser is for school children turning their work in to a teacher. It makes the page cleaner but it gives the illusion of perfection.

Look at any of my old notebooks or index cards and you’ll find more scribbles than words. I’m no longer annoyed by this; it’s part of the process. To not scribble would require producing perfect writing on the first try, and that would require fooling myself.

The only reason you don’t see scribbles on this blog is because I typed it. But while I was typing it, I was deleting and moving more words than you can imagine.

Scribbles represent the act of filtering, of the editing process. And that is a process that provides the most clarity and value, more than even the ideas being edited.