Skip to main content

Just Writing it vs Writing it RIGHT...

Part of the problem I have with working on novels is I want to write it right the first time. I know I cannot although there may be writers who can. I'm a huge rewriter. It seems I can't give myself permission to just write it. I want to "write it right." Do you have that problem?

When I wrote HUNGRY FOR CHOCOLATE I came home after a few days at a writing retreat and I sat down and wrote every day for two months, not allowing myself any major rewrites. (WHY WAS I SO STRONG THEN?) I allowed myself to look over the pages at night and to make a few minor changes the next morning then I required myself to continue. In two months I had finished the rough draft. IT took many more drafts to get the novel to where it is today. And it hasn't sold. So. What am I missing?

Now, I'm so much smarter and have more years of writing under my belt and I still want to second guess every other word I write. Do I need intense hypnosis to make me lose the desire to rewrite. I want to rewrite before I even write. It's almost an obsession, I'm ashamed to say.

I do well with short stories and am successful with essays and short articles. But my heart longs to have a book on the shelf.

Yet, I have all these unfinished novels. I think I need to be chained to my desk and not allowed to leave until I write "the end" at the end of a novel.

I'm hoping this new story on which I'm working will keep me motivated to finish it, novel style.

I've been doing well but I allow interruptions that I shouldn't. The phone is my biggest enemy. I love to talk.

I'm off here now to make a sign to put on my desk. DO NOT DISTURB. Plus tomorrow I'm turning off the phone. Somehow I'm going to make it through this story to "the end."
Let me know what works for you! Thanks! AND blessings.

Comments

  1. Have you heard of NaNoWriMo? It's National Novel Writing Month, and it's a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. The thing most people find challenging about it is turning off the "inner editor." I used to be a big rewriter too, but 2 Nanos not only taught me how to do it, but why it's so important when banging out that first draft.

    I just focus on the story I want to tell, not what parts have already been told, and I only allow myself to read the previous few paragraphs to get back in the mood.

    Good luck getting to the end! It's a wonderful feeling.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh that phone! As soon as people know I am at home, they think they can call and I want to chat. I acutally ignore it alot more now during my writing time. You have to value that time and claim it.
    Thanks for understanding about my job situation. It was the worst in all my years of working!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ignore the phone! Hide from the internet. Whatever it takes.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I meant to say thanks everyone and I'll try the next novel writing contest.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I do have the same problem and I sometimes feel guilty writing and letting other things go. For me I think the hardest thing is finding all those words. I don't think I could ever write a 50,000 page novel.I started out writing picture books and when I had a children's story of over 9000 words I was amazed that I had actually written that many words and put them down on paper.Sorry I can't help with ideas on not editing as you write, I can't even turn off the editor in me when I read books written by someone else.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I haven't figured out the solution yet, either. For my current WIP I created a chapter by chapter outline and this has helped me to keep my focus as I write the novel. In fact, I'm pretty sure if I didn't have this outline I would have given up on the novel by now.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for the comments. I'm thinking I need to do what Alex said and ignore the phone and internet. They both call my name continually. I may try Alissa's idea of an outline for this one. I fly by the seat of my pants always and it works for small projects but not for those 300 page novels.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ah, Spring and all her glory.

I'm enjoying the spring weather that has finally arrived in Ohio bringing blooming pear trees, red buds and tulip trees. How about you? Do you love spring as much as I do? I spent a day on the patio, putting out the table, chairs, umbrella. I painted a white wicker plant table and have decided it's too good for the patio. I plan to use it in the bathroom instead. Just when I thought winter would last forever, spring arrived with temperatures in the 70's. I noted buds covering my rose bush and a robin building a nest in the crevice of my chimney. I wanted to let them stay but they managed to leave so much debris at my front door that I had no choice but to shoo them away. Hopefully they've moved on to one of the many trees and bushes in my community, a more cozy place for raising babies. When I was a kid growing up in Putnam County, WV, I was outside at the first glimpse of the sun coming through my bedroom window. I ran through our yard, down through the orcha

The Dreaded School Pictures

This year when my children brought home their school pictures, I cringed.  These kids can leave home looking cherubic, but the minute they pose for that school photographer they are transposed into unrecognizable beings.  My middle daughter brought home pictures bearing her name and room number that couldn't have been my offspring. Nor a distant relative. I had worked for hours on this child. Her hair was parted in the middle and drawn into a cute little ponytail over each ear. Even though she is at an awkward age, she looked adorable when she went out that door. Her missing front teeth only added to her charm.  The kid in the picture has her mouth open wide displaying ugly dark gaps. Her one visible ponytail is lopsided, her part is uneven, and her bangs look like they were cut with pinking shears. I know this isn't my child because I always give my children a good haircut before they have their pictures taken. The only thing vaguely familiar is the sweater t

MY HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE...

Wednesday, March 16, 2011 High School - Poca High School, Putnam County, WV What year was it? Fall 1960 - Spring 1963 What were your favorite bands, or singers? Sam Cook, Chubby Checker, Conway Twitty (It's only make believe), Johnny Rodriquez. Meatloaf. ELvis. What was your favorite outfit? Straight skirts, blouses, cardigans or jackets, little heels. Other Outfits? Jeans and a white Dr. Ben Casey shirt. What was up with your hair? Everything. I put peroxide on it. Lemon juice, thinking it needed to be lighter. I cut it, styled it, put it in a pony tail or a french twist. Hair was the most important thing in my life in high school. And hair spray, the stiffer the better. Who were your best friends? Patti Jones, Karen Mattox, and Susie Bailey all thru elem school. Then added on Donna Dailey, Sharon "Mouse" Hackett and Janice Wick and many others. Also Bonnie Kerwood who was older than me and lived near me so we hung out listening to records after schoo