The Magic of TK: Break through Every Barrier in Your Writing
One of the first lessons I learned as a young editor and staff writer working for a small publisher was the meaning and value of “TK.” Ever since, it’s been my best tool for powering through manuscripts to get them written, polished, and poised for production. I tell other writers that writer’s block doesn’t exist if you know how to use TK.
So, what does TK stand for? And how do you leverage its magic?
The odd juxtaposition of the capped letters T and K (no periods) is a shorthand abbreviation that stands for “to come” (or “to kum”) and it’s used in publishing and journalism to mark a spot that needs more information. In other words, TK is a placeholder for missing material and because the letters TK rarely appear together in English words, it’s easy to spot or search for in a draft. What “Lorem ipsum” does for graphic design and web development to hold space for future content, TK does for writing and publishing. The genius of TK is how universal it can be:
Don’t know which word to use? TK marks the spot.
Can’t figure out how to write a certain scene or describe someone? TK marks the spot.
Lacking creative juices to come up with a snappy chapter title, subtitle, or heading? TK marks the spot.
Feeling like you have an allergy to write that third chapter? TK marks the spot.
Need to conduct further research to fill in a blank—a fact, statistic, study, or quote? TK marks the spot.
TKs keep you moving at a good clip in the writing process, especially when you’re grinding out that first full draft. A TK can be your filler for a single number or word or an entire chapter you’re not quite ready to write. The goal is to not lose momentum. You will go back to those TKs later when you’re prepared to address them (and drop more TKs in because you’re starting to rework your first draft).
Until a manuscript is at the printer, my drafts are full of TKs (and often the more visually arresting TKTKTKTK). They are my favorite tools in my bag of tricks. I just wish I could use them for other things in life beyond writing.
Photo credit: Matt Ridley on Unsplash