Warming Up or Starting Cold

Think of basketball players. Before they start down the court to meet the opposition, they warm up. Their exercises consist of moves from running, to shooting the ball, to dribbling across court. Some businesspeople need writing warm-ups to get their fingers nimble, loosen the words, and stir up the fire of ideas.

When Will Warming Up Enhance
Your Writing Process?

Sign: Typically, you get stuck while writing your document, falter through the opening paragraph, or spend a half hour or more on

a one-page letter or memo. Or perhaps you feel anxious about writing or feel restless the moment you conjure that first word. If so, always warm up. This will diffuse your nervous energy and condition you to have a more relaxed response the next time you write.

Sign: Usually you have no trouble writing. But sometimes you feel unusually stressed or distracted, whether because the document you’re writing makes taxes look fun, or the day’s just overall horrendous. Warming up will alleviate the tension and ground your thoughts. Try warming up when you must write particularly difficult projects — it will open the word-use channels.

You’re probably thinking that warming up is a luxury for those who have inherited gobs of time while you must pilfer every spare second. But warm-ups really are time efficient, even when letters pile up on your desk, the phone rings nonstop, and your voice mail is full. Here are a few ways to warm up without slowing down your workday:
• Read a newspaper or a magazine over morning coffee or on the train to work. Perhaps the most overlooked and underestimated way to oil your writing joints is through reading. Just open the magazine of your choice — whether Sports Illustrated or The New Yorker — and indulge. A few pointers: First, be sure the magazine’s word use is relaxed and the style similar to yours. Reading a terse or weighty document will inhibit, rather than encourage, word flow. Next, read regularly every morning, at the same time if possible. Pick the most natural time — when you’d normally be sipping coffee or relaxing on the commuter train. Finally, read something you enjoy. Sound obvious? People often approach writing like medicine, believing that the most unpleasant-tasting doses are the most helpful. Not true. By reading material you enjoy, you’ll read more closely, be more aware of the writing style, and read more often.
• Create lists for several documents at once. This warm-up technique is useful only if you have two or three documents to write that day. You may have to write several letters, a letter and two reports, or two sections of a proposal. Spend a little time creating lists for each item you must write. This process will help you channel your thoughts, work out your ideas, and loosen up for the actual writing. It will also help you determine a schedule, so you’re sure to make every deadline.
• Write letters and short communications. Another great way to warm up is to save the more difficult documents for last. This is not a procrastination trick. By spending time on the easier, and often shorter, documents, you’re warming up for the tasks to come. Fiction writers use a similar technique, starting their writing sessions with letters and journal entries. Time management is key here, though; be sure you ration enough time to complete all your writing tasks.
• Reread and rewrite what you wrote the day before. When working on longer documents such as newsletters, proposals, manuals, or reports, reread and edit what you wrote the previous day. As Step 4 explains in even greater detail, this warm-up technique serves several functions: it places you in writing mode; it reminds you of details not contained in your list; and, most important, it allows you to create a better document as you warm up.