Write Like Your Shed Is On Fire

If you’re reading this, congratulations! You have survived another day without your shed spontaneously combusting.

But what if it did? What if, as you sat there, pen poised or keyboard clattering, you noticed a faint whiff of smoke curling up from behind the lawnmower?

Would you pause to check your spelling? Would you stop to ponder whether “smouldering” has a ‘u’ in it? (It does, unless you’re American, in which case it’s probably already on fire.)

No, you would not. You would write with the urgency of a person whose garden tools are about to become toast. And that, readers, is exactly how you should approach your writing.

Editing is important. Editing is what stops us from sending emails that say “I love you” to our bank managers.

But too much editing is like painting your shed so many times that you can’t open the door anymore. Your voice is in there somewhere, waving frantically, trying not to inhale the fumes.

Let it out! Write as if you only have minutes before the whole thing goes up in smoke.

Don’t worry about the odd splinter or the fact that you’ve accidentally nailed your sleeve to the wall. That’s character. That’s you.

Ideas are like hedgehogs: shy, prickly, and liable to run away if you shine a light on them for too long.

If you feel something smouldering inside—an idea, a phrase, a joke about garden gnomes—get it down before it escapes. The roof is always about to cave in. That’s the nature of sheds, and of inspiration.

So next time you sit down to write, imagine the flames licking at your ankles. Write with urgency. Write with energy. Write like your shed’s on fire.

And if your shed is on fire, put down the pen and call the fire brigade. But do jot down how it feels—you never know when you’ll need it for a story.