I already knew I was combination of plotter and pantser (as in, writing by the seat of my pants) but now I also know that....
I HAVE TO EDIT AS I GO!!!!
For the first few days, I tried to ignore my inner editor - I really did - but it nigh on killed me.
Akin to chewing off my own arm (even though that would be cannibalistic, and not only that, I've also been vegetarian for over twenty years), the prospect of having to come back to it filled me with dread. I couldn't move on until I'd got the words right, until the sentences flowed the way I wanted them to.
My muse abandoned me, throwing a tantrum until I agreed to let my editor play. It transpires they are a tag team, they need each other, and who am I to argue? I'm just the medium that types the words into the laptop.
Signing up to NaNo was always a last minute decision, almost a whim, a tool to get me back into my writing. Whilst I am still striving to reach the 50,000 word target, I'm not going to be too disappointed if I don't get there. I'd much rather have 30,000 quality words, than 50,000 words of drivel that needs completely re-writing come December.
December for me is all about promoting and celebrating my new release, and of course, getting ready for Christmas. Woo hoo!
If you are also taking part in NaNo, how is it going for you?
I am so busy with my day job and the emergencies that tend to crop up that I've barely been able to write. I got 17k in and that's been a struggle. I'm about to take a hiatus for a weekend, just so I can try to get more word count in. You think the world would collapse if I did? LOL
ReplyDeleteMaybe download a big "do not disturb" sign and set it as your profile picture? LOL Or erm... maybe I should set it in my calendar to remind me to leave you alone? ;-)
DeleteMy lesson is - I cannot write well under pressure, my brain shuts down, theres no flow etc just lots of looking at blank pages! Weekend coming up which may help :0)
ReplyDeleteWith the number of things you've got going on, it's fantastic you're managing to get any writing done at all x
DeleteNano is going fine here. Word count slowed down a bit this week, now that the kids are back at school, and hubby back at work, but I'm still hitting my daily word count, and I am ahead of where I ought to be.
ReplyDeleteThat inner editor can be a pain in the behind, but for Nano I usually get it to zip, and something about that word counter that keeps me motivated. My muse thrives on dead lines.
Because I do like to procrastinate, and Nano forcibly reminds me that I can't, lol.
Get off the internet Doris! LOL
DeleteAm I allowed to be envious of the way your word count has consistently soared, putting me to shame?
Although Nano slowed down for me a little this week, I know that I work well to deadlines. I also know that if I don't keep going, write through all the crappy scenes and maybe even chapters, I won't get to the end. And if I get to the end, I can edit to within and inch of my life!! ;)
ReplyDeleteI guess that's what makes us all different - we all dance to a different beat of the drum! Good luck with your word count and don't edit TOO much, hun!! lol.
I love the fact there is no right or wrong way to write, only your own way - the system that works best for you.
DeleteAnd never too much, just enough to shut the damned inner-editor up LOL
30,000 quality words instead of 50,000 drivel words is a good attitude for a serious writer.
ReplyDeleteWish I was a serious writer :)
Or it could perhaps just be laziness on my part, only wanting to write the manuscript once? ;o)
DeleteI totally agree with having quality words. How does it save time if you go to rewrite and have to delete half of your work? I can't write sentences for the sake of getting the story down.
ReplyDeleteI've also learned a lot this past week. What I'm really working on is sitting down every day. Yesterday was my biggest learning day yet. Everything went wrong at work and stress really got to me. Normally I would forget work(writing) and sit down and read. But I allowed myself my read time to relax, then I made myself write.
Interesting as I read back I wonder if I think of my writing as work. Should I? It is my hobby that I want to make a career. People can and do make a living with their hobby. Does thinking of my writing as work turn me off?
Thanks for the blog. It got my mind going.
Keep the Faith
Thanks Faith, I'm glad you found it thought provoking. It's good to know it's not just me!
DeleteI can't work when I'm stressed either, so with school holidays and sick children, it was impossible to get started last week and I'm easily distracted if something comes up.
That is me all over! Hence why I haven't tried NaNo, and probably why I haven't written a novel; only shorts and a novella. I don't write well under pressure either, I'm having a devil of a time with a story that I NEED to finish, yet my Christmas one has popped up and is flowing like champagne at wedding! I've also found out I'm not the linear writer I thought I was, which was a revelation, and has helped with the speed of the Xmas wip.
ReplyDelete