Wednesday 3 April 2013

IWSG April - Oops, I did it again!



Yep, I did it again! I thought I had it sussed but, nope! I got myself into the same cycle I get into every time I start on a novel. I became obsessed. Not with word-count, not with having to write every day, not with how long I write for... but with editing and fiddling! I edited and fiddled until I hated every word. I'd told myself I'd write a first draft and THEN fiddle with it, but I CAN'T DO IT!

Correction! I CAN do it and I WILL.  This novel was nearly abandoned in its entirety. My daughter had read the first chapter without comment, which made me think it was pretty crappy, but when I told her I was ditching it, she got really annoyed and wanted to know why. I obviously didn't read her poker face right when she'd read it.  Anyway, thanks to her, I am continuing but I'm going to allow myself the luxury of writing the first two chapters again and THEN I WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THE END. It's here, in writing. Make me stick to it, please!

Hope you're not feeling too insecure - I'll be hopping around to find out!

As always, thanks to Alex J Cavanaugh for starting this group. You can find the list of insecure bloggers taking part over on his blog. I won't add the list here because it's sooooooooo long! (There's probably a way of entering a link to lead you straight to the list but I ain't that clever!)

11 comments:

Tonja Drecker said...

Oh, I totally know this feeling! It's why I'm battling with 3 WIPs at the same time. (Not good, I know.) Just sit down and write. Don't keep editing. Just write. Then go back and edit. It's probably not nearly as bad as you think it is right now.
Now, I have to follw this advice myself ;)

Annalisa Crawford said...

I write my first draft by hand as much as possible, because it's much easier not to go back and edit. I was once told that it was possible to edit the life (and your voice) out of a WIP, and I've always remembered that - I want to stay well within my own words, if that makes sense. And tell your daughter to be more effusive when she likes something :-)

Annalisa Crawford, One of April's IWSG Co-Hosts

Patsy said...

Not doing any editing at all is very hard and it doesn't seem like that method would suit you.

How about allowing yourself just 20 minutes of editing/fiddling per couple of hours writing? That would allow you to fix anything that really bugged you, but mean you kept going forward too.

Donna K. Weaver said...

I feel your pain. That's one thing I've loved about NaNo, that forced "I've got to get to the end". And, for a pantster like me, it helped me realize that my very first draft is really my very detailed outline.

Vikki T said...

Awwwww, honey :(

I HATE editing, so i find it very easy to just rattle off a first draft and not fiddle. When i start fiddling i lose interest in finishing the story lol

I wish i have some earth shattering advice, but i haven't so i'll just say good luck! :)

xx

Rena said...

I'm with Vikki, I hate the editing. Not that I can't do it, but it just takes so long. And the first draft is so shiny, like when unicorns get their horns!

Okay, that's a little much. The point is, I love my first draft because it's all mine. No worrying about how the publishing world will take it (when I write first drafts I tell myself that I'm probably not going to try to publish this one, so I write it the way I want it).


So yeah, I don't know if pretending it's just for you will help, but that's how I do it.

Unknown said...

I can so relate to that! I have edited and re-edited so much it is practically a different novel than I started with

Elizabeth Seckman said...

Oh man, fiddling locks my brain up tighter than a drum! Makes me feel like a total loser. I always draft first, edit last.

Margo Berendsen said...

Oh goodness I've been stuck on the first 2 or 3 chapters of at least three of my books for MONTHS. I know how you feel. Just keep writing! Push yourself past it!

Misha Gerrick said...

That's the number 1 reason why I draft by hand. Can't stop fiddling either when I do it on the computer.

Unknown said...

I love to edit too. There's just so many options! Good Luck and keep slogging onward and upward into the fog!!
~Just Jill