Friday, January 26, 2007

Difficulty Banning the Editor

Today's Mood: Punky. Today's Music: Robert Pollard: From a Compound Eye. Today's Writing: 1st paragraph of I Feel For You (3 versions today--probably about 10 total.) Today's Quote:
Estimated amount of glucose used by an adult human brain each day, expressed in
M&Ms: 250 -Harper's Index


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Okay, another question for the masses of writers out there who are reading this blog. Do you think it is necessary to write in the "just keep your hand moving and don't stop to edit" in order to be creative? Is it possible to be creative and be the type of writer that rewrites the first paragraph a freaking ten times before I get it in the right style and voice in order to be able to go on?

I'm starting to get a complex about this after reading all these writing books that say that is the way to rule out your inner editor... and so forth. I want to do that--truely I do. But every time I sit down and write, (especially beginnings) it takes me awhile to get the voice--the words--right. So I write and change and rewrite and change until I get it to fit what's ever in my head--the voice or mood or character's personality or whatever it is.

Do any of you write like this? Do any of you write in the just keep your hand moving method? Have you tried the other way? Notice any difference in the quality of your writing? Maybe I am just way too control oriented. I'll have to try loosening up. I don't feel too tight. I feel like I could just spew words--but when I start working on an actual piece of writing, I just can't help but revise as I go. Whoa is me.

Maybe I need more M & Ms. I'm definitely not up to 250 yet.

2 comments:

outdoorwriter said...

I like to keep writing. I want to get the ideas down while they are still fresh. I have too many days when I sit down to write and have a blank screen or at best a few sentences. Have you tried journaing? Just to sit and let the words flow might help you over the hurdle.

smcelrath said...

I do journal when I get ideas (usually while I'm in the shower) but then when I sit down in front of my computer to actually write the scene--especially dialog--I want it to match what's in my head so I keep re-writing it until it matches. You know how you can write a sentence and then when you see it on paper--or hear it out loud--you know that isn't exactly what the character would say?

Maybe I should journal the whole scene first and then go write it at the computer.