A drunk guy gave me my favorite writing advice

It's all about getting out of your own head and being more "you"

Author

Christine McMullin
January 29, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes

We’ve all been there.

We have something important to write and we sit down, palms already sweating, to crank something out. It’s important, but it’s more important to do it fast.

We click send or publish it and expect to feel relief.

But instead all we feel is slightly underwhelmed, twinged with a bit of shame.

“Was that really my best?”

Enter the wise drunk guy

This isn’t just any imbiber on the street or propped up on a stool. This is the best (some might argue most knowledgeable) drunk guy in the writing game:

Hemingway.

Everything you think you go through about writing, Hemingway did:

  • He went on safaris and wrote Great American Novels

  • He typed out compelling copy from the front lines

  • He was plagued with crippling self-doubt

And yet he still showed up and wrote, most of his stories thinly veiled autobiographies. What did he know that we don’t, when it comes to writing about ourselves?

Enter my very favorite writing quote:

❝

Write drunk, edit sober.

- Hemingway

How to get over yourself and produce some damn fine copy

This isn't just about being sloshed, it's about the sweet spot of what happens when we feel drunk (this can be on exercise, love, or alcohol, by the way!).

Here's the magic that happens:

  • We're uninhibited: When we aren't worried about our grammar and whether we're CORRECT, we communicate better.

  • We're storytellers: When we're a little tipsy, the stories come out and they are often hilarious or suspenseful

  • We're authentic: When we're less inhibited, we are more ourselves. And that trumps grammar and vocabulary any day.

  • We're in "test mode": When we are telling stories as our authentic self, it relaxes us and allows us to experiment.

  • We know "sober self" will clean it later: There's something so empowering about knowing that you can make mistakes. It encourages Flow. Sober you can always make any corrections later.

If you are at all interested in showing your authentic self in writing, I can't recommend this method enough.

Take action: Want to try this in a very low-threat way? Turn on your phone to record yourself and tell your favorite story. You know the one, you tell it because your friends or family say “pleeeeeeease tell that one” and turn to you, expectant. Record it and transcribe it. Look for how you talk not what you say. Chances are, you’re using some really tried and true “hooks” that you can incorporate to your other writing.

Why it works: You’ve had a lot of practice with this particular content. And it doesn’t matter if the story is about meeting Val Kilmer, catching a big bass, or how you crushed it in the intermural softball league (guaranteeing bragging rights forever). You have had time to practice and hone your story. “Sober you” will fix it later.

I'd love to hear your experiences with getting over writing "stage fright" and what worked for you.

Talk soon,

Christine