We'll Fix It in the Mix

By Bob Deakin

The Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra in session.

I’m finding the groove a bit better these days employing the simple ‘technique’ of getting sentences right the first time. I will always catch typos, mistakes, or bad word choices in the edit, but more often, I get the feel of the sentence right the first time.

Anything to save time, I’m in. Like most writers, I’m a perfectionist and spend too much time choosing words. Whether the sentence is part of a 30-word post or a 300-page book, it must express my feeling. I write stories and biographies, not instruction manuals, so feeling is important.

We writers obsess over these things - I know you - and I ask you to trust yourself. It’s easier, and no one is going to sweat a bad word choice if the emotion is there. I’m not famous, but I’ve had two books and thousands of stories published, and I never stop searching for better form.

I remember the running joke, “We’ll fix it in the mix,” from my recording studio days, which became “We’ll fix it in post” when I moved to TV. It was also a warning. Never let the artist wait until mixdown to repair a performance. It wasted time and rarely worked. 

Sound familiar? You’re an artist. Do the same with your writing. I cannot speak for you, but no one is riding on my every word. They breeze past most of them. 

You still must compose your story, but if the sentences work, you can use the time on the choreography. Get ‘er done. 

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