A couple of years ago, I got assigned to a couple of projects at work where I ended up writing a lot of code and scripts. I didn’t know a lot of the commands I needed off the top of my head, so often I wrote what we called pseudo-code before writing real code. Pseudo-code isn’t real code that a computer can understand, but rather a summary of what you want the code to do. For example, if I were quickly sketching out what I needed a script to do, I might write something like “do SQL database query here,” and then later go back and replace that with working code.

There are times when I have time to write but don’t feel like writing. Sometimes, during those times, I end up pseudo-writing. For example, last night, I wrote the following:

Skip takes the wheel.
Monica sits behind him.
Skip asks Monica to change seats.
“Jumpy much?”
“It’s worked… up until now.”

This morning, when I had a bit more energy and enthusiasm, I went back and fleshed everything out:

Skip reflexively angled his shoulders to keep Monica from standing directly behind him. “Would you mind moving up here?” Skip asked. “I don’t like people right behind me.”

Monica squeezed past Skip and sat down on the front cabin bench. “Paranoid much?”

Skip stared out into the dark waves ahead. “It’s done me good,” he said, taking a quick glance at his unwelcome house guest. “Until today.”

It’s not qute Shakespeare, but you get the point. Sometimes when pseudo-writing I’ll drop notes in the text, like what the goal of the scene is or what characters are thinking or planning on doing. When I revisit those passages (or in last night’s case, pages), I’ll go back and redo everything.

Another time I pseudo-write is when ideas are coming to me faster than I can write. Pseudo-writing is a good way to capture a rapid stream of ideas that you can go back and clean up (or sometimes delete) at a later date.

I have no idea if other people do this or if it’s even a good idea. It’s just something I do.