I'm in the shitty first draft stage now and you're so right about all this. I've got way more done since I banned myself from going back and editing. I keep telling myself there's no point editing the beginning when I don't know exactly how the story ends. I've got a chaotic planning document which is swiss cheese itself and I've fixated on getting to the end and making it make sense later!
It really is such a game-changer to allow yourself to just keep writing without going back to edit! In my experience, soooo many things can change from the first to the final draft that there isn't much of a point in editing everything at the beginning, because most of it might not even be there at the end 😂
I'll be honest and say I've ignored our mentors' warning about editing instead of writing on and now I am suffering, so I guess I gotta kick myself in the pants and move on to the next chapter 😅
Haha, I mean, everyone has their own writing practices that work for them! But if you feel like you are stuck, it might be helpful to try something new 🌚
Loool I love the idea of making a bet for motivation. Those are some great suggestions; I certainly wouldn’t want my phone in anyone’s hands to do what they want with it!
I do some of these things as well, like Island writing, though I didn't know it had a name. It's certainly more fun to write what you're interested in and I think this shows up in the work as well!
100%! I used to try writing chronologically, but found it's way better for me personally to just skip to the fun parts and come back to the rest later!
I've been giving this exact advice but I never knew about these terms, love it! Definitely helps me get over those hurdles to just sail away to another island for a bit and slowly bridge them together later. Eventually... I hope...
Yes! It can make such a big difference once you give yourself permission to write out of order. I never had Writer's Block ever again. And building the bridges between the islands is such a rewarding process in my experience. Seeing everything come together like that...
Great tips! When I finished the first draft of my first novel, I thought I would be able to query it (not that I would without editing it but still). Boy, am I glad I spent time going through that entire thing and fixing it! There were so many changes. But I was also able to finish that first draft because I let go of perfectionism and told myself that I would fix everything later. I think you have a great mindset of just getting it all down first. It has to exist to begin with.
Exactly! I personally love editing because I find it so much easier to work on my novel with a 'goal' to reach, aka. the last chapter. Even if there are a lot of things I have to change I noticed I can be a lot more productive that way :)
I think it’s very useful for not losing your writing flow when you get stuck at a certain scene. Especially because you will come back to edit eventually anyway 😌 If I wrote everything chronologically, I would have never finished my first draft 🙃
You’re the best inspo! Going to try bullet pointing and island writing 🌚⭐️ and will also get you a great big drink once I finally finish my draft !
Glad it was helpful! And can't wait for that drink 🌚
I'm in the shitty first draft stage now and you're so right about all this. I've got way more done since I banned myself from going back and editing. I keep telling myself there's no point editing the beginning when I don't know exactly how the story ends. I've got a chaotic planning document which is swiss cheese itself and I've fixated on getting to the end and making it make sense later!
It really is such a game-changer to allow yourself to just keep writing without going back to edit! In my experience, soooo many things can change from the first to the final draft that there isn't much of a point in editing everything at the beginning, because most of it might not even be there at the end 😂
I'll be honest and say I've ignored our mentors' warning about editing instead of writing on and now I am suffering, so I guess I gotta kick myself in the pants and move on to the next chapter 😅
Haha, I mean, everyone has their own writing practices that work for them! But if you feel like you are stuck, it might be helpful to try something new 🌚
Loool I love the idea of making a bet for motivation. Those are some great suggestions; I certainly wouldn’t want my phone in anyone’s hands to do what they want with it!
Hahaha yeah, it was really effective! And you can get creative with it as well, depending on what your worst fear is 😂
Glad the post was helpful for you :)
I do some of these things as well, like Island writing, though I didn't know it had a name. It's certainly more fun to write what you're interested in and I think this shows up in the work as well!
100%! I used to try writing chronologically, but found it's way better for me personally to just skip to the fun parts and come back to the rest later!
I've been giving this exact advice but I never knew about these terms, love it! Definitely helps me get over those hurdles to just sail away to another island for a bit and slowly bridge them together later. Eventually... I hope...
Yes! It can make such a big difference once you give yourself permission to write out of order. I never had Writer's Block ever again. And building the bridges between the islands is such a rewarding process in my experience. Seeing everything come together like that...
All hail swiss cheese draft
Great tips! When I finished the first draft of my first novel, I thought I would be able to query it (not that I would without editing it but still). Boy, am I glad I spent time going through that entire thing and fixing it! There were so many changes. But I was also able to finish that first draft because I let go of perfectionism and told myself that I would fix everything later. I think you have a great mindset of just getting it all down first. It has to exist to begin with.
Exactly! I personally love editing because I find it so much easier to work on my novel with a 'goal' to reach, aka. the last chapter. Even if there are a lot of things I have to change I noticed I can be a lot more productive that way :)
I've never tried writing out of chronological order, think it might drive me insane.
But I should probably give it a try!
I think it’s very useful for not losing your writing flow when you get stuck at a certain scene. Especially because you will come back to edit eventually anyway 😌 If I wrote everything chronologically, I would have never finished my first draft 🙃