Hey there! As people are gearing up for National Novel Writing Month, I’m hearing lots of people say how one of their biggest struggles is not fixing and rewriting what they’ve already put down on the page.
Compulsive reworking and editing, rather than moving forward, isn’t only an issue during NaNoWriMo. It can actually hold you back from your goals of being a successful author (or screenwriter or short story writer, for that matter). I made this video to talk about how to be less perfectionistic and more focused on finishing your work. I hope you like it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6M12GfeAI0&t
Have you struggled with being a perfectionist in your own writing? What’s helped you get over it? Let us know in the comments section! Thanks for reading (and watching), and have a great week!
Unfortunately, Bryn, even though I have a hearing disability I still hear my inner editor. She’s not only a perfectionist, but also a compulsive procrastinator! She knows me well and if there’s the remotest possibility that I can be talked out of writing in lieu of something more “funner” she knows exactly what button to push. I did listen closely to your video (with headphones) and I hear what you’re saying…the same thing my CPs repeat to me over and over in our Skype sessions. Your video will help as I can replay it whenever I feel I’m being railroaded by my IE. It’s short, to the point and not long enough for me to get comfortable in my brand new desk chair. Thanks.
Hi, M. Lee! Sorry to hear your inner editor is getting heard loud and clear! I’m glad you mentioned the hearing issue…I should find out how to add captioning to videos. I hope you can put that procrastinating perfectionist editor in her place. 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
One of the things I try to avoid when drafting is reading other’s work. This includes recreational reading or sometimes even news feeds. If I do any reading, it well away from writing time. I take great advantage of the ____________, when I need to come back, or if a passage sounds lame, I color the font to its palest grey so it’s less noticable as I write. Be well.
Sadly, I have this problem. I guess that’s why I’ve never finished any of my stories.
Hi, Kimberley! This is definitely something people can change, though I know it’s tough! Good luck with your stories!
Thank you! Good luck to you and all your books!
I don’t resist self-editing, I appease it. I postpone it, though, often until I have a section written, then rewrite that section. I have won NaNoWriMo several times, too, while rewriting what I wrote (There are as many winners of NaNoWriMo as there are people who can produce 50,000 words of a manuscript in a month!). The trick is, I can let it go after one or two rewriting passes, I just need to make time for that as well within the drafting process. I still make my 1700 words a day (usually in 2800-word sections, enough to finish in 22 weekdays). In my case, I just have to hit my word count before I reread and rewrite. Each sentence gets carefully gone over as I write it, it’s why people who might type as fast as 60 words a minute on a keyboard sometimes can’t get past that sentence. (actual typing speed on a good keyboard and a good system, I can hit 120 words a minute, but that isn’t (wasn’t) MS Windows, it was with a Kaypro II, which used CP/M and the word processor Palantir. Windows is slow, slow, slow at typing). But, I can, sentence by sentence, continue. Having written the passage I set as my goal and my word count (sometimes that takes several passages at a time to make up enough words), THEN I rewrite. Those NaNo months I typically do little else that month but commute to work, do a good job, commute home, eat, sleep, and write and bathe (quick morning showers). I try to do as little grocery shopping as needed, as quickly as possible, and simplify my diet down to the minimum. (meaning, that’s not the month I take on a baking challenge or try new recipes, that’s December’s job) Of course, both times I won I was single, and in school, with school requirements on top of that. Now, I’m retired, and can turn out 50,000 words rather quickly, so NaNo, while I don’t formally do it, as during any given year I’ve done 50,000 words in a month as many months as I wish, when the muse wishes to appear. This isn’t simply a wish-fulfillment exercise, the muse may not show up for six months at a time, but when the muse arrives, chapters appear on a regular basis, chapter by chapter by chapter. Here’s the real trick: it’s not what I do, or what anyone else does, it’s making what you do work for you.
Bright Blessings, guys, and, to paraphrase, Good Hunting. -tc
Hi, Tom! Oooh, I love this idea of appeasing your inner editor! Thanks for sharing so much about your process — I think it’s inspiring for people to learn how other people work. I LOVE this: “Here’s the real trick: it’s not what I do, or what anyone else does, it’s making what you do work for you.” So true!
Love the video, Bryn…it’s like getting a terrific pep talk!! I’m guilty of this; I hate to hand work to my “editor” (ahem…my other half) until I’m not embarrassed by it. He’s always pushy about getting more stuff, so eventually I have to let my words go. Once they’re in his computer, I don’t go back and fix my files because it’s pointless. So I move forward.
I use Scrivener, and the scene-by-scene approach works well for me. I can’t fix what I can’t see…so as long as I don’t open any file but what I’m working on, I eliminate the temptation of tweaking and adjusting things I’ve previously deemed good enough.
I also understand there’s a lot I did wrong in the process of writing this first book (inefficiency, perfectionism, linear writing); WHEN I write the second, I will do several things very differently. You’re so right that there are many things you can’t learn until you get to the end of the first draft. (And the end of mine is, at this moment, about 5,000 words away…YAY!!!!)
Lisa! Oooh, you are so close! Yay! I think it’s good that your editor pushes you for more stuff 🙂 I can’t believe I still haven’t tried Scrivener. I bet I’m going to really like it when I finally do.
This is so true. My mom actually bought me a shirt for Christmas one year that said “prefectionist” on it because she said I take it to the extreme. She’s not wrong. I tend to be a bit obsessive in nearly every aspect of my life. Writing is certainly no exception.
Erin, I’m laughing at your mom’s Christmas gift! Too much of it can definitely hold a person back. 🙂 Sometimes you’ve got to give yourself permission to be messy! Hope you have a good week!
This is definitely one of my biggest flaws when it comes to writing. This, and the feeling that I haven’t done enough research. I am seriously considering NaNoWriMo this year. I look forward to seeing everyone’s progress.
Thank you for this video, Bryn. I roadblocked my progress early in my writing path by constantly editing. With experience and more self confidence, I’ve overcome that himderance. I’m now able to make it through a short story or a section of a novel without backing up and starting over again. I’ve learned to trust my instincts. My advice to new writers is to throw it out there without looking back. Allow that first draft be messy and scattered. You’re the only one to see it so let it fly with no concern for punctuation or grammar. That first draft is a do-over. It’s required.
I always enjoy your blog posts. Thank you for taking the time to share with us.
I used to attempt the “perfect first draft’ because that’s how I was used to writing college papers lol 😀 I heard someone famous say recently, “Your first draft is just shoveling sand into the sandbox – you make the castles later.” I love that.
Hi Sue! That sandbox analogy is exactly how I see it! Love it.
Thank you for sharing, Bryn! I really appreciate the reminder.
The video isn’t available anymore. Any reason why? It would have been really helpful to me right now. (No shade intended, I’m just curious 🙂