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Let The Writer Write!

Howdy All,

Every writer has those times when it seems like you're just barely eking out your story. It's annoying and frustrating, yet, despite having ideas, every time you try to put them on paper you feel like you're at a dead end. You're so worried it's bad, that you can't even squeeze it out of your brain and put it out there. Yet, you know, that if you keep this mind set it's going to cripple you.

I sometimes struggle with this. I'm working on my dragon story and I have to push aside my questions about what works and what doesn't and let the ideas flow.

We have to have this conversation with ourselves...something like this:

Self, you love to write. You have creative ideas. Other people have liked your ideas. Cut the crap and just let yourself go...let your imagination run wild and worry about the details when you edit.

The thing we all have to remember is when we're writing, we write. When we edit, that's when we say "This sentence works, this sentence doesn't, this needs to stay, this needs to be changed, delete, insert..."

When we write we have to keep it going like this: idea, idea, idea, idea, idea, idea, idea. Paragraph by paragraph, line by line, word by word.

We can't sit there thinking "Is this good? Does this work?" We have to think "Okay, now what happens? Does she throw a frying pan at him or does she run into his arms saying 'where have you been all my life?'"

We have to remember when we write, it's about getting the story out. When we edit, it's cleaning it up.

When we mix the two too much, we cripple ourselves because we're editing rather than letting it flow.

Best wishes!

Have A Winging Wednesday!

Comments

Emma Michaels said…
I agree with you completely. I was having trouble with this for a few days (Up until earlier today) and I had almost never had writers block before so I knew it wasn't my ideas because those were spreading and growing like wildfire as always. I think you are right. A lot of the time an author stands in their own way. I know I have. Guess the trick is telling yourself to move politely enough to where you don't offend yourself. Great post!
Bethany said…
Emma,

Thank you very much and good addition in your comment. :-) Glad to know you got "outta your way". :-) Best wishes!

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