Starting afresh with Oliver Burkeman

The writer Oliver Burkeman types out every draft from scratch - then deletes the original. In this first episode of *This Might Work*, host Bec Evans puts Burkeman's 'starting afresh' technique to the test, following writer and literacy educator Elizabeth Morphis as she uses it to revise her book - across a transatlantic flight, a sleepless night in Athens and the journey home. Does the discomfort of retyping every word actually make the writing better? It might. **About the guests** Oliver Burkeman is the author of four books and *writes* The Imperfectionist, a newsletter on productivity, mortality, the power of limits and building a meaningful life in an age of bewilderment He also wrote the foreword to the book that inspired this podcast Written: How To Keep Writing and Build A Habit That Lasts.   Elizabeth Morphis is an associate professor of childhood education and literacy, founder of The Literacy Teacher’s Life. She is currently writing a book for parents about how to make reading a central, joyful part of family life so children become confident and lifelong readers. **Credits** Presenter: Bec Evans Featuring: Oliver Burkeman and Elizabeth Morphis Extracts from Matt Bell, *Refuse To Be Done* and an Elizabeth Day interview with Jilly Cooper’s where she talks about Riders. Producers: Bec Evans and Chris Smith of Breakthroughs & Blocks Podcast production: Suzi Dale, Story Publishing Pilot episode Starting afresh with Oliver Burkeman was released on Substack last November with a bonus episode and link to the full transcript.  For bonus material and conversations about the experiments featured in the show, visit Breakthroughs & Blocks on Substack. If you enjoy the show, please leave a five-star review. It’s one of the biggest ways you can help new listeners discover the podcast. *This Might Work* is written and presented by Bec Evans and Chris Smith, authors of Written: How to Keep Writing and Build a Habit That Lasts. * * * Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.