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:
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 ;)
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
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.
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.
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
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.
I can so relate to that! I have edited and re-edited so much it is practically a different novel than I started with
Oh man, fiddling locks my brain up tighter than a drum! Makes me feel like a total loser. I always draft first, edit last.
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!
That's the number 1 reason why I draft by hand. Can't stop fiddling either when I do it on the computer.
I love to edit too. There's just so many options! Good Luck and keep slogging onward and upward into the fog!!
~Just Jill
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