Elisa Doucette

Revision is the art of cleaning up after the version of you who wrote the draft at 1AM, thinking it was genius. You weren’t wrong, you just weren’t done. Yet.

Writing after a holiday feels like trying to run a marathon through gravy. The mind is slow, the body is heavy, and all your best energy was spent on pie. (Which is honestly *the best* way to spend your energy. Don't @ me.)

Your assignment for today, should you choose to accept it: Open your document. Stare at it for 6 minutes. Write one single, possibly mediocre sentence. Close it. You are now officially done writing for the day. Congratulations! 🎉

Some sentences arrive like uninvited guests. Loud, dripping all over the floor, already rummaging through the kitchen. Total mess...and somehow, the best part of the party? The whole experience just becomes better because of them.

Forget the standing desk, I want gear for the *real* writing process. A helmet for all the facepalms. A pedometer for the 3AM existential pacing. A tiny, tasteful fainting couch for when you have to delete a perfect paragraph.

You can measure my stress levels by how many half-legible notes I’ve scribbled on receipts, envelopes, and one unfortunate takeout menu. Inspiration is messy, but so are writers.

The best ideas rarely arrive when you’re at your desk. They show up while you’re peeing or watching a pot boil, like they were waiting for your mind to wander far enough that they could sneak in.

Should I consider myself hashtag-blessed that I have absolutely no idea what happened over there? Or woefully out-of-the-know?

Some days the words pour out. Other days it feels like you're trying to charm a feral cat with a single sardine and the promise that you really *can* be trusted.

The writing advice I need is not sexy. It's "Drink water after the third coffee." It's "Save the document before you rage-delete, just in case." It's "No, you cannot solve this plot hole by running away from your laptop and home while screaming 'Yiiiieieieieieieieieeeee' into the void."

"The truth is I’ve always loved writing so why the fuck not?" - Charli XCX

Word of the day is ‘quockerwodger’ (19th century): a puppet politician whose strings are pulled entirely by someone else.

Perhaps it is because I am a delicate flower...or perhaps it is that I've been around this game long enough that I'm delicate like a b0mb...but if your pitch to me includes any whiff of a negging comment or manipulative selling tactic, I will "Mark as Spam" your message into oblivion.

The "...and here’s what it taught me about business" genre of posts aren't bad. They're just badly written.

[WILF Newsletter] What I Learned From... 🧠 - Craft Your Content A weekly(ish) newsletter for writers who give a damn—featuring depth, curiosity, and one sharp thing to read each week.

Veridical reminds us that the truths we don’t necessarily invite in are often the ones worth voicing.

Want more weird wonderful archaic words in your life? I write about new ones every weekend(ish) in 'What I Learned From...'

Check it out here: www.craftyourcontent.com/wilf-newslet...

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📚 Sorta Synonyms: veracious, candid, "speaking truth to power"
🧰 Modern Equivalents: the steady honesty of a trusted friend, a documentary that refuses to soften its conclusion, the honest draft you were scared to write

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⚒️ Use It For
The data point that dismantles a beloved (but flawed) strategy.
Calling out a sentence that hits harder than even the writer intended.
The work of fiction that holds up a mirror to society so clearly it can feel more real than reality.

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🔥 Why We Need It Back
Because stories built from conviction outlast stories built for performance.
Because reality is often stronger than the most impressive marketing strategy.
Because we need to name the moment when the truth stops caring about your brand alignment.

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Odd thing is, it is the least used member of the "verus" family (words like verify, verdict, etc.) Probably because it refuses to flatter anyone.

Its unpopularity is, in its own way, deeply veridical.

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Over time the word made its way into philosophy, literature, and eventually psychology. It has remained more thoughtful, describing a quality of truth that is genuine and non-illusory, whether that appears in a statement, a story, or a character.

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You know, that haunting kind of truth that lingers even when you wish it wouldn't. To be veridical is, quite literally, to be "truth-speaking."

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Veridical comes from Latin veridicus, built from root words "verus" (true) and "dicere" (to say). By the early 1600s, veridical had slipped into English by adding the -al suffix to create and adjective describing statements, visions, or dreams that proved true.

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Veridical [vuh-RIH-dih-kuhl] (adj.): Truth-telling that refuses to be bent by wishful thinking.

Some words arrive with their sleeves rolled up, ready to cause trouble.

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A close-up photo of a person speaking into a silver microphone. Only the lower half of their face is visible, showing pink hair and bright red lipstick. Over the image is a dark translucent box with text that reads: “Veridical (adj.) truth-telling that refuses to be bent by wishful thinking.” In the bottom right corner is the logo, a red editor’s checkmark striking an anvil.

🗝️ Glossary of the Forgotten: Veridical

Ready for a word that calls out the truth without flinching, even when a lie would be more comfortable?

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There is a sacred moment in writing when your brain whispers “I know this looks chaotic, but trust me.” That whisper is usually when the good stuff is about to begin.

"I could be in the actual headline, and it's still none of my business."

Regardless of how people feel about her music and business moves, Taylor Swift gave a masterclass in protecting your peace this summer, and I sat straight down. 🫡

Write the thing that feels too obvious, too simple, or too "beneath you." The creative snob in you is a liar.

Xennials: Do you identify more as an Elder Millennial or a Baby Gen X?

Which one and what year are you born?

I have a theory...

Sometimes the draft fights back because you’re trying to write a polite version of the truth.

Oh, yeah, they're like minor characters there!