I have done a lot of revising this past year, on three completely different manuscripts. In the process, I've learned a great deal about improving a story, and now I know so much more about craft, and technique, and the "rules" of writing.
That's the good part.
Unfortunately, I've become so conscious of all the things that need to be done during the revision stage, I've somehow convinced myself I should do them during the first-draft phase.
That's the not-so-good part.
I like to write the first draft fairly quickly, blazing through the scenes so that my internal editor is two miles behind me, huffing and puffing to catch up.
Lately, though, it feels like the internal editor is a sadistic drill sergeant, leaning over me as I struggle to bench press 1000-pound weights with arms made of pencils.
While I'm all a-quiver trying to create, the internal editor is yelling reminders in my ear.
"Show, don't tell!"
"Adverbs are for sissies!"
"Where are the layers of description, using all five senses?"
"You can't use THAT word again!"
Talk about a creative buzz kill. Now I'm second guessing myself before I even do the first guessing.
My brain is power mad with its knowledge of craft, forgetting that the role of revision is to IMPROVE the story, not terrify it out of existence before it even appears on the page.
Luckily, before my characters left me for a writer who could accommodate their storytelling needs, I stumbled across a post titled "Just Go", by James Scott Bell.
He states, "When you write, you have to write freely. You can't let a lot of craft knowledge freeze you up."
This is excellent advice. But how do you follow it?
Mr. Bell says to "write like it's play".
While doing that, he says you should keep only three things in mind: 1) High stakes for the character, 2) Opposition that is stronger than the character, and 3) Tension/conflict in each scene.
I think even these three things can be a hindrance at first, especially if you have an uncompromising internal editor. In that case, I would emphasize the "write like it's play" aspect. It's during this "play writing" that you learn what the stakes are, as well as the extent of the opposition to the character. Once you determine those, it's easier to ramp up the tension/conflict. These are also fixable during revisions, so resist the temptation to refine them now.
Remember, that need for instant perfection is what got us into trouble in the first place.
So, until I've finished the first draft of this WIP, I've decided to keep my eyes away from craft articles and technique posts. Now it's butt in chair, writing like it's play, and keeping one goal in mind: Story First.
I've got a main character in trouble, and it's my job to keep that going, all the way to The End.
When I do hit the finish line, that's when it's time to focus on revisions. Although I definitely plan to leave that drill sergeant of an internal editor in the dust.
I'm with you, Donna -- I need this, too. I had the writing like play thing going well for the last week or so, and I wrote tons, and it felt easy and fun (and actually held together pretty well, I think) and then life intervened, and I lost momentum, and I started putting too much pressure on it.
Thanks for the reminder!
Sam
Posted by: Samantha Hunter | September 16, 2011 at 09:46 AM
Sam, it's good that you had the "write like play" going on, so you can recognize it -- it makes it easier to reclaim it. :) We do put a lot of pressure on ourselves, especially if it feels like it's "too easy". But I definitely think we need to make it fun again.
Posted by: Donna Cummings | September 16, 2011 at 10:00 AM
OOOooooo...that's how I love to write. First draft, bam bam bam. I do try to keep a few things in my head...(very few mind you) like conflict and somewhere there's supposed to be an HEA, but definitely, the first draft just pours out....it's that crazy revising thing that drives me bonkers!
Posted by: carrie spencer | September 16, 2011 at 10:18 AM
Carrie, I love first drafts like that too. I think that's why I'm such a fan of NaNo (which is less than 2 months away!) Revising is harder since I have to slow down and make sure I'm not missing anything, which is when the pesky IC starts to get cranky and finicky.
So I guess that means we have to enjoy flying through the fun part, right? :)
Posted by: Donna Cummings | September 16, 2011 at 01:15 PM
Great reminder, Donna! I've been having so much fun with my WIP, which seems to get more steadily wacky with every chapter. I'm just letting the characters do their thing. I write best when I don't know what's going to happen next, and that doesn't mix well with the internal editor. The internal editor wants to know how every cotton-pickin' thing in the book relates to every single other thing. Dude! Relax! I haven't even written the STORY yet!
Posted by: Ruthie | September 16, 2011 at 04:04 PM
Ruthie, it sounds like your internal editor and mine are twins separated at birth. Aaaugh! They gotta settle down and wait their turn. LOL
I also prefer to write not knowing what's gonna happen next. Or if I have an idea, it's pretty vague, and the characters surprise me with little bits of info that make the story more intriguing. It's as if I'm reading it as I'm writing it!
Posted by: Donna Cummings | September 16, 2011 at 04:23 PM