Writer's Fallout Shelter

[b][i]I have to ask why you cannot give yourself permission to just write?[/i][/b].

This is long-winded, so settle in or skip as the spirit moves ya!

Some writers (very few) can edit on the fly. They finish a chapter, edit it, then move on. It's an acquired skill, developed by telling and polishing lots of stories over time. There are even fewer who claim to edit every sentence as soon as it hits paper or the computer screen. One pass, and it's over. No more editing, no more polishing.To date, I've met exactly two professional writers who claim this ability. I've no reason to doubt them, but I [i]do[/i] know how rare this ability is among writers.

I've met hundreds of novelists and short story writers, in person and in cyber-space, who are tortured by the need to edit, and edit, and edit, and edit every...single... paragraph (or chapter ) until they "get it right." None are making a living at the craft. Not...one. Poets are the only writers I know who employ the occasional use of the internal editor without dire consequences. They're working on a very small canvas and each word or phrase is much easier to see or "feel." Not so for the aspiring storyteller.

Storyteller has the right idea. Turn off that damnable internal editor (aka the Grief Machine). If you loose it too soon, It'll only get you into trouble. Want to know the single greatest cause of self-inflcted writer's block? The internal editor. It's not called the Grief Machine for naught. *wink*

How do you avoid the Grief Machine's evil clutches? There are more than one method, but simple is good, right? So here's a simple, yet effectivej method: Just write what your minds-eye sees in the moment. If you're struggling with a passage, imagine that you're talking to a friend. Pretend you're having a verbal conversation with the next door neighbor and relay the simple facts. Tell the story, tell the story, tell the story. Don't get caught up in the prose trap, thinking every word must be solid gold. There's plenty of time to revise.
The story doesn't always have to be pretty on the first pass. Just remember, anything you write today can be revised six week, six months, or six years from now. Tell the story first.

Here's the deal: You certainly have the right to edit as you go. Heck, it's your story, so tell it anyway you want. BUT, if you get hung up editing every paragraph as soon as you write it, chances are that six months from now, you'll have one very nice paragraph. And only one.

Folks, if you're a fiction writer, and you don't take anything else away from this forum, remember this: Story comes first. Style points don''t mean squat if you don't have all the components: beginning, middle, and end.

Substance first, style later. I'm not saying style isn't important. I'm saying substance (the story) trumphs everything esle.

More on this later.

For more "stuff" visit:
http://LiamJackson.com

"Have you ever been caught hiding bodies in your closet? No? Good place to hide them, uh?"

Proud member of the Horror Writers Association, International Thriller Writers, and the Authors Guild