What are some tips on articulating ideas into words?
"What am I trying to say?" "It's on the tip of my tongue."
Two phrases I'm sure we're all familiar with. The process of conveying abstract thought in coherent words is something we all encounter on a daily basis. Even typing this out now, I'm having trouble finding the right string of words that best convey the ideas I'm trying to lay out. I've always suffered a bit of a disconnect when it comes to converting my thoughts into words. What usually ends up happening is I'll string together words trying to "capture" a certain "feel" of an idea, but is not in any way a cohesive sentence, if they could be considered sentences at all. This type of "stream-of-consciousness" writing may have its purposes, but is not at all practical in real world applications. How do you convert your brain-mash to a form that makes sense to other people? What tips and tricks do you, the good people of Snapzu, have for organizing your thoughts?
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While not quite focused on the level of abstraction you mentioned, the single biggest tip I apply at work and in my writing hobby is to just write it down. Write down the alternatives. Even write down some of the ideas you're sure are bad, because if you have four or five options, maybe something about the 'bad version' will stand out and stimulate you. Or maybe the version you thought was bad might have some merit compared to the others you've come up with, such as a syntax or an interesting sentence length.
The vast majority of people, in my experience, have a much easier time editing and critiquing than they do actually writing the first sentence. If it's something with which you feel comfortable getting collaboration, have others look at the options you've created - they'll often be able to say, "no, that one sounds wrong" which will help you start the process of elimination.
This is a very good answer. I would also like to add, that by writing it down, it is there and can be reviewed later with a fresh point of viiew but if you keep it in your head it is unlikely to grow and/or change. You may even find that you return and like what you thought before you didn't.
These are things I found when I write my songs and lyrics. I'll allow myself to put down my current idea even though I think it's rubbish. That way I now have a vantage point to see where I could go from there. I can leave it and come back, then with a new perspective I can explore the next step a little. Often this leads to me looking back and either slightly modifying to help with the new part, finding I actually like the idea I thought was crap or finally deciding to scrap it and move on.
I still come back to my oldest work and sometimes change things here and there. I think the fundemental point here is to reach the understanding that the metophorical action of "putting pen to paper", does not mean it cannot change.
That's exactly it. I see in people a kind of perfectionist procrastination, where the idea of putting something less than perfect onto paper (or in a word document) somehow confirms their lack of skill or their fear that they'll never produce something "good". So they procrastinate until they think of something perfect on the first try - doing nothing in this case produces less anxiety than doing something imperfect.
Unfortunately, perfection almost never comes on the first try - I'm always trying to encourage people to work past that initial anxiety. A supportive environment helps a lot, in my experience.
I was that guy though. The one that wouldn't take the first step. The one that never tried because although I practically ached to write my own music, I thought all my ideas were stupid. It took me hitting rock bottom in self-esteem, thinking "fuck it I don't care if it's shit I need an outlet for what I'm feeling." for me to take the first step and actually write my first song. Imagine my surprise when people heard it and told me it was really good (well actually at first they didn't believe I wrote it). Although I thought it was just luck, I was addicted and so I kept writing and like any skill I got better as I went and learnt tricks to make it easier and eventually came to accept that I am kinda ok at it (still feels weird saying I'm good at it :P). I think the biggest lessong I have learned is that a lot of the time our biggest barrier is our belief or rather lack of belief in our own capabilities.
Thank you for the insight. I definitely have this problem when it comes to just putting things down on paper.
Try and try again, each time you will be clearer. I used to teach physics and chemistry to high school (while I were a engineering student), and I realized that for each new student I had, my explanations were easier to understand, the examples were more pertinent etc.
Another tip is try to explain it to someone too young or to people without the technical background required, it forces you to break down the idea to the essential part.
Reading. Literally just reading a bit of a novel every day. It's not a technique, you don't have to put in effort, you don't have to work at it, just read. I love reading, and as a result, I have a larger vocabulary, and I can articulate myself more effectively. Just try it :).
Thanks for the reply, but I don't think it's so simple. I'm an avid reader, and my vocabulary is decent, however that doesn't address the heart of the issue. I think my main issue is having the mind of a goldfish. I have little confidence in my ability be clear and concise, most of my thoughts and ideas lack focus and I find myself trying to overload each sentence with as many ideas as I can fit. I rarely finish a thought before my brains has already moved on to the next one. I think I may just need to try slowing down and really focus my points.
I dislike jumping straight to conclusions, but have you considered the possibility you may have ADD or a form of it?
Hmm, I didn't consider that there may be a medical reason. I may have some research to do.