24 Comments

i suppose u will start using letters and numbers 2 replace words next then u might stop using punctuation altogether 4 it slows u down then u could spell foneticly 2 get faster 2 😉

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Eh. The problem I have with writing everything in lowercase is that it makes it more difficult to see where sentences stop and start. The periods can be hard to spot, sometimes. With the capitals, you get a double signpost that is harder to miss LOL.

As for your hack of stopping when you know what you want to write next... I think it was Van Vogt who used to stop writing in the middle of a sentence. Not quite the same thing, but a bit similar ;)

I couldn't use either technique, though. I have a bad memory and would be too worried I'd forget what I wanted to write next :D

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Jul 2, 2023Liked by Lyle McKeany

“there’s this magical thing that happens when I type in lowercase. it’s as if the act of capitalizing is a clogged drain that’s slowing down the flow of thoughts from my brain to my fingers. I can cruise along and let the creative energy from my brain flow through my body uninterrupted.”

Same here! So happy not to be alone on this.

New fan!

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Dec 26, 2021Liked by Lyle McKeany

Merry Christmas Lyle🎄

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I am just loving the creativity you are experimenting with in your posts lately! And I love the bracket method! I always put xx where I know I need to fill in more later but I’m just trying to get an idea down real quick. That way I can easily find “xx” and make sure they are all replaced before I send out. 😇

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Dec 11, 2021Liked by Lyle McKeany

Or you could use a program like I use. It capitalizes the first letter of a sentence for me!

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Dec 11, 2021Liked by Lyle McKeany

yeeeeessss!!!

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Good post! or, I should say, good post, lyle! I think you’ve hit on something important about flow, although there are many ways to hack flow that don’t involve futzing with capitalization. writing is making a shit-ton of choices. It’s a lot more than that, but that’s the mechanical core of the endeavor. I never really thought about capitalization as a choice to be made, but this essay demonstrates how eliminating a choice, one we probably don’t even notice, reduces the friction that slows and stops writing. anyways, I’m all for it. Not That You Need My Blessing😁

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I used to get REALLY stuck on making all lines come out perfectly. It blocked me for a long time. Now I just use brackets when I’m trying to find the right word or phrase. And return to it. I have recently graduated to deleting whole sentences now! Thanks for another tool to keep the flow going.

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"I usually like to stop at a point where I essentially know what I’m going to write next" -- totally trying this.

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