Writing With Volume, The Daily Word Bank, Write Badly, Boldly & More

Happy Monday Doctors and Writers,

Welcome to the 22nd edition of the newsletter.

This week, we’re focusing on high-volume writing and digging deep into why writing a lot, even when it feels repetitive or “not good enough”, is one of the most effective ways to build your skills.

Today at a Glance

Question: Are You Overthinking What to Write?

Quote: On Writing and Rituals

Framework: The "Daily Word Bank" Method

Idea: Write Badly, Write Boldly

Video: The Compound Interest of Writing Daily

Question: Are You Overthinking What to Write?

How many times have you stared at a blank page, thinking:

“What should I write about?”

Unfortunately, this is a common point at which many writers freeze. You question every sentence before it even makes it on the page.

That's overthinking in a nutshell, and as a writer, it's completely natural, especially if you're trying to make every draft as perfect as possible.

So here’s a better question to ask yourself instead:

“What can I write about right now?”

When you focus on what you can, the pressure to be perfect dissipates.

Suddenly, everything around you becomes a source of endless inspiration:

• A conversation you had last week

• A problem you’re struggling to solve

• An idea sparked by the book you’re reading

Remind yourself that every piece doesn’t need to be groundbreaking.

Writing often is about momentum, not perfection.

When in doubt, pick an idea, write it down, and move forward.

Quote: On Writing and Rituals

The lesson: Writing only when you feel inspired is the single greatest limitation to your skill as a writer. Regardless of whether you're working on a book, a newsletter, or a journal entry, you need to set your foundations with a clear and consistent routine. Sit down at the same place, at the same time, every single day. You'll be surprised how often unrelated ideas show up and connect with one another.

Framework: The Daily Word Bank

A couple of months ago, we shared a podcast discussing the practice of writing a thousand words a day (here’s an article I put together for deeper insight).

Today, we wanted to share a variation of that system to make it easier for you to stick with the process with no exceptions: The Daily Word Bank.

This framework is all about building a library of ideas, phrases, and observations for you to take inspiration from at a later point.

Here's how it works:

1. Set a Time Limit

Commit to writing for anywhere between 15 to 30 minutes every day at a set location at a set time. Once you start, use a timer to stop you from getting distracted and further eliminate decision fatigue.

2. Choose One Theme

For each day of the week, pick a simple theme that works for you.

For example:

• Monday: Something you learned

• Tuesday: A question that's been on your mind

• Wednesday: A personal story from the past month

3. Focus on Volume, Not Quality

Your job is to get words down. That's it. Let them be messy, incomplete, or chaotic. This exercise is solely focused on putting together the basic ingredients, not the finished product.

4. Review Weekly

To get the most out of this framework, set a time for the end of each week to revisit your Word Bank. Highlight interesting phrases, expand on your best ideas, and if you'd like, save the rest in your notes.

Why this works:

Writing without pressure brings out exciting ideas you may or may not have noticed before, and to make it even better, building a Word Bank acts an endless source of inspiration.

This makes it so much easier to find your unique voice and gradually expand your digital writing portfolio with time.

Idea: Write Badly, Write Boldly

Something we've noticed that very few writers today talk about:

Good writing starts with bad writing.

The first draft isn’t meant to be polished. It’s meant to exist.

It’s the messy blueprint that gives you something to work with.

Take this newsletter for instance. The first draft is genuinely terrible, but with a few iterations, edits, and feedback, it slowly but surely comes together into what you're reading today.

To give you an idea of what a "real" first draft should look like:

• Write Fast: Set a 10-minute timer and write without hitting backspace

• Write Ugly: Use filler words, clichés, or rambling sentences

• Write Free: Forget about your audience for now and write for yourself

Every terrible draft moves you closer to a great one.

Embrace the mess. It’s part of the process.

Video: The Compound Interest of Writing Daily

This week's video is all about the origin of the 1000-word-a-day writing exercise by Nathan Barry and Ali Abdaal. This podcast is packed with some phenomenal advice on starting and scaling a writing business. Enjoy!

Alright, that wraps up today's newsletter.

Thank you so much for reading, and as always, if you have any comments, suggestions, or questions, just hit reply to this email.

We’d love to hear from you.

— Adi and Pranav