(I want to make this post rather short--I'm sick and "don't have the energy"--but I'm not making any promises.)
I was catching up on Maggie Stiefvater's blog and her post about editing inspired me to write this post.
My critique partner and I both have the same problem: we edit constantly while we write. And like Maggie said, this is usually a big no-no. "Turn of your inner editor and just write." Well, I know from experience that editing is more of an aid to my writing process than a hindrance.
Like, right now. I'm stalled mostly because there is something off about the voice of my character. She's just not coming across the way I want her to and since her mind has suddenly put a portcullis between us, I can't figure out how to move the story forward convincingly. (Being convincing is a big deal for me.)
I know that I'm going to have to go back and scrap something so I can fix the problem. (Yes, "scraping" work is a form of editing.)
When I first felt the urge of the inner editor (some years ago), I resisted. I knew it was a writer's sin to edit while you were writing. But then I ended up dropping the story. (It was a good story, too.)
The next story, I let myself edit and I got farther along. I got more done. (I still ended up dropping the story.)
Point is, I do better when I'm editing. To me, it's perfectly okay because if I don't edit, I'm not satisfied and it is intensely uncomfortable to continue writing with an itch under your skin that you can't scratch.
I was catching up on Maggie Stiefvater's blog and her post about editing inspired me to write this post.
My critique partner and I both have the same problem: we edit constantly while we write. And like Maggie said, this is usually a big no-no. "Turn of your inner editor and just write." Well, I know from experience that editing is more of an aid to my writing process than a hindrance.
Like, right now. I'm stalled mostly because there is something off about the voice of my character. She's just not coming across the way I want her to and since her mind has suddenly put a portcullis between us, I can't figure out how to move the story forward convincingly. (Being convincing is a big deal for me.)
I know that I'm going to have to go back and scrap something so I can fix the problem. (Yes, "scraping" work is a form of editing.)
When I first felt the urge of the inner editor (some years ago), I resisted. I knew it was a writer's sin to edit while you were writing. But then I ended up dropping the story. (It was a good story, too.)
The next story, I let myself edit and I got farther along. I got more done. (I still ended up dropping the story.)
Point is, I do better when I'm editing. To me, it's perfectly okay because if I don't edit, I'm not satisfied and it is intensely uncomfortable to continue writing with an itch under your skin that you can't scratch.
