Daisy's World: What I’ve learnt from writing this column in the past year

A year ago, I started writing this weekly column, Daisy’s World. I cannot say that when I started I did not know what to expect because I have always been a writer. However, the difference between being a reporter and being a columnist who writes weekly about their world is that the latter, whether or not you acknowledge it, exposes your soul to readers – your deep-seated beliefs and fears; some of your private joys and sorrows, and your previously well-hidden quacks.

So after successfully writing 52 columns (this is the 53rd), here are some lessons that you may want to add to your list of 2024 resolutions.

One month into writing Daisy’s World, I was ready to quit. I had a conversation with the editor and she said my columns were biased to just one aspect of my life – my career life; she wanted a more rounded look into Daisy’s World.

Writing about what goes on in my career was easy – because a lot of that could be easily public. The suggestion to write about stuff outside my work life was unsettling.

After that meeting, the idea of quitting the column was on the cards. I had listened keenly to everything she said, and while she made sense, I was scared of ‘being exposed’.

I sought the opinion of another editor – who I trust. And her advice was: “You cannot just quit because you think you cannot do it. Work on the recommendations the editor has given and see if things begin taking shape in six months. The column is even named after you; so you can’t just quit it!”

Experience

The fact that I am writing my 53rd column is proof that I survived the growing pains of writing a column. While experience is not the only teacher, in my case, it has proved to be quite the sophisticated teacher.

The bigger lesson for me has been not to quit at the first sign of an obstacle.  And I know as I step into 2024, there will be bigger challenges, which I am better prepared for, thanks to this experience. Take one: Whatever it is you are struggling with, give it time because time has a way of clarifying things.

The second lesson I have learned from writing this column, which is in my toolbox for achieving my 2024 goals, is that success needs discipline and consistency, not motivation. I know this sounds like a line I picked from ChatGPT, but let me explain.

There is something called ‘writers block’, which refers to times when, as a writer, no matter what you do, the muse for writing doesn’t just flow. In the ideal scenario, you chill out until the writing juices start flowing.

However, writing a weekly column has taught me in practical terms that what I need to succeed is discipline and consistency, not motivation. The editor expects me to submit my column on Monday morning, regardless of the weather or even the litres of motivation I had to drink that week. What I found helped to ensure I delivered on schedule was building ritual around the practice of writing the column.

By the fourth month, I had a specific day and time in the week when I sat down to reflect on my week and sieve through to decide what makes the cut for Daisy’s World that week. After this exercise, I put together a very rough outline with an initial draft. I spend an hour or so every Sunday afternoon adding some finesse to the draft. This discipline and planning is what prevented me from getting overwhelmed because of everything else I have to do at work. Take two: Succeeding at your tasks needs discipline and consistency.

Help

Finally, (and this is purely because I have hit my word count) do not be afraid to seek help because even with the best of plans in place, life isn’t perfect.

There are weeks when I was second-guessing myself; weeks when my voice didn’t seem to carry enough conviction. Or weeks when the column felt bland. In such weeks, I benefitted a lot from getting a second eye on my column, someone to review it before I filed it to the editor.

Most of the time the feedback was that I was being unnecessarily anxious, while sometimes the feedback was that I needed to rework three paragraphs or so, to improve clarity for the reader because “I had left the story, unwritten, in my head.”

Whatever shape or form this feedback came in, it was critical to making sure I was confident in the final piece I filed. Take three: Have someone in your corner who can give you an unfiltered opinion.

What were your biggest lessons of 2023 that you have carried forward?

The writer is the Research & Impact Editor, NMG ([email protected]).