Taming the Inner Editor
Or, better, getting rid of it for a time, because the beast has been plaguing me for quite some time now. I simply didn’t have a name to give to it yet.As I was reading No Plot? No Problem!, I realized that often, I have a serious problem with my “inner editor”—this little voice that pushes me to take every text back again and again, even though it’s not finished, and polish it until it is “perfect”. Which in theory would be nice and useful, if only working this way didn’t mean taking my sweet, sweet time to finish something. Of course, it can never be perfect enough to my eyes, right?Oddly enough, I never have any problems with it when it comes to technical writing. Technical writing flows fast. Technical writing knows by itself where it’s supposed to head to. However, fiction is a whole other matter, and while I’m supposed to write well in both “genres”, it’d be really great if I could for once leave the Editor behind, and fully focus on writing. I can always edit later on, when it’s finished. Starting to do it while I’m still writing is just like shooting my own foot, preventing me from going further.Evidently, I’m not paralyzed by this everyday, else I’d just never write anything at all. There are moments when I can truly keep the Editor at bay, and generally, I remember these moments as productive, inspiring and even funny. Alas, the Editor always comes back, and I can then take two weeks or two months reworking an entire chapter because I’m not satisfied, instead of writing the next pages.What’s ironic in all of this is that I can be a very prolific writer: I type fast, I have lots of ideas, and left to myself for three or four hours, it’s not in hundreds that I can count the amount of words, but in thousands. It’s also not about the “writer’s block”, especially now that I’ve officially re-christened it “the lack of desire to work” rather than sugar-coating it in the good old artistic concept.This can’t go on.Getting rid of the beast is one of the reasons why I’m going to do NaNoWriMo this year—because it can be fun, for a whole month, to do things “not seriously” and work in total freedom, without worrying about whether my style is appropriate or not. I think I’ve understood enough of the “right” writing techniques at the moment to be able to use them from the start, without the need to think of every sentence thoroughly for five minutes before writing it. I think my knowledge of both English and French languages is good enough by now to allow me some confidence in that I am not a totally failed writer, in that my basic style is worth the shot. I don’t need to fear. After all, I don’t proof-read my forum posts or blog entries for days before publishing them, so why should I be so afraid for texts that I will anyway work on again later on?And that’s my advice of the moment about writing: let’s not fear the first draft. The first draft is our friend. The first draft will put the story into words, and help us see how our plots unveil and where they end. Whatever needs to be edited, can be edited afterwards… no need to hurry. The first draft done is half the battle won, so to say.Y Tags: editing nanowrimo | writing
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Gone Away
Although you wouldn’t believe it if you went on one of those writing seminars, everyone writes in their own way. I do everything they would tell me not to. I edit before I write – in other words, I make sure the sentence is just about as good as I can make it before I start writing. And I don’t do drafts, not even first ones. Why not? Because I know myself and I know that I detest rewriting so much, I just won’t do it. Which is better for me – to have hundreds of awful first drafts or just one completed jewel? And, of course, they’ll tell me that I shouldn’t write like that, it’s a bad thing to do. But it’s the only way I CAN write so who are they to say I mustn’t?Write through drafts if it’s what you want to do. But NEVER do it because it’s the “right” way to write.Incidentally, the time argument is nonsense. I bet I can write a book doing it my way faster than they can writing and re-writing and re-writing…
Lee Carlon
It is interesting how some people say the only to write is a draft at a time, while others only write a single draft.Personally I just write the first draft comfortable with the fact it is going to be awful, because I need to get all the ideas down before I can arrange them in their proper order.I have thought about trying the snowflake process but just haven’t gotten around to it yet.
Yzabel
You know, Clive, I’ve never even been to a writing seminar! There aren’t any in my area (too lost in the woods, so to say), and I’ve just never had the opportunity to travel far to attend one. I even wonder if it’d bring me much, at least compared to what I can learn on my own, through a few books and most of all through trial and error.That you can write like you do is actually great… I wish I was able to do that. It’s what I’ve been trying to do, but it just doesn’t work, and by trying to do “perfectly” from the start, that’s how I end up with half a dozen drafts for a single story (which doesn’t even get finished). Don’t ask me how I do that, I don’t understand it myself… Proof that for me, piling up drafts isn’t the solution either 😉 If I could only end up with one, then edit and be done, I’d sure be happy.As for the time, I’ve never had to think in terms of “time” when it comes to fiction. I simply wish to try it once, to see how it works, and if a deadline can push me forward the way my job’s deadlines do it. I manage to do that with technical documents, after all. I know it’s not the same, but…
Yzabel
Lee, this is what I want to do–focus on getting a first draft finished, without drowning in drafts. I think that by polishing each sentence “properly” from the start, I somewhat lack a more encompassing point of view (I don’t see redundant words/descriptions, for instance, between chapter 1 and chapter 3… and so on), and end up… blocked. Perhaps rushing through a first draft also won’t work, I don’t know yet. I really need to do *something* to improve in that regard, though.
Lee Carlon
hmm, sorry Yzabel, I wrote that comment in a hurry this morning. I just came back and read it and it didn’t make a lot of sense.I was trying to say that’s what I do, concentrate on a first draft and then when it’s finished worry about the other stuff like grammar and redundencies and so on.Anyway good luck. 🙂
melly
Hi Yzabel. First time around and it sure is nice here :)I know exactly what you mean. You feel like you’re hindering yourself.I have no advice and no smart words. I’ve read too many articles and posts about the subject (time I should have probably used for writing), but couldn’t find a magical formula.Well, if you ever do discover how to turn that inner editor off please let me know…
Yzabel
I thought it made sense, but now I realize thatmy own answer to it could be misleading as well. Looks like the both of us shouldn’t comment early morning, period :DMelly, I bet we’re not the only ones chasing after this utopia! If I ever find a solution, I’ll let you know, for sure. “Hindering”, in any case, is probably the right word here. By wanting to do too well, I just… don’t do much. it’s a bit of a stupid situation.