Jul 11, 2010

Wannabe Writers #24

Wannabe Writers is a writing group for the un-published and anyone is welcome to join. It's a place where future authors can ask questions, share stories, and get feedback. Click (here) to find more about how it works.

Where I am in the writing process:  Unpublished.  Been writing since Nov. 2008. 

My current problem(s):  Lack of writing.  I spent this past week in Mexico on vacation.  I didn't even bother to bring a notebook and pen with me.  (EH!)  Now I'm feeling very reluctant to get back into my current WIP.  I spent the day napping and watching TV.  I kind of get down on myself when I watch too much TV because I'm always thinking an hour watching TV could have been an hour writing.  Oh well.  Tomorrow is the start of the 50K/50DAY challenge so I'm going to have to write no matter what! 

This week's question:  Quantity vs. Quality.  Do you believe it is best to write/write fast, get it all out, and edit later?  Or is it better to go slow, editing in the process?  Is forcing myself to write 1,000 words per day really the best option?

7 comments:

Jillian said...

Keep your head up, Sarah! You can do it :) Take your time.

Joy Tamsin David said...

Good question. I often wonder the same thing myself. It seems like editing for me is like chipping away at a diamond. It takes forever. Sure, I can write garbage quickly, but when it comes to turning it into something I can show someone other than my cat, it takes for.ev.er.

Where am I? I've been polishing the same three chapters for a month to send to an agent and I hope she doesn't forget she asked for them by the time I get around to emailing them off.

Miranda Hardy said...

Sarah, I am excited about starting the challenge tomorrow and it might be just the thing you need to get the writing to flow once again.

Jeff King said...

I think it all depend on the writer… if you’re a good first draft writer that has very little errors, then by all mean churn it out.

For myself, I used to think churn it out and fix it later was the way to go—boy was I wrong… nothings worse than writing 100k words and then having to dump half those words in revision.

If I would have taken enough time to get it right the first time, the problems with pace and plot wouldn’t have occurred.

Stick to what works for you, never changing to fit someone else’s ideas about writing, it has to be something personal… and no one can tell you what is personal to you, you need to feel it out, make it work the way you want—best of luck all, hope you find what works for you.

God knows I am trying.

Witless Exposition said...

I think sometimes a kick in the pants is needed. Having a strict deadline works a lot better for me, and it's near to impossible to write to a deadline AND edit for me. I made it through Script Frenzy, so I'm hoping the challenge is what I need. Good luck!

Witless Exposition said...

I think sometimes a kick in the pants is needed. Having a strict deadline works a lot better for me, and it's near to impossible to write to a deadline AND edit for me. I made it through Script Frenzy, so I'm hoping the challenge is what I need. Good luck!

Stephanie said...

For me, I've discovered that it's better to plow on ahead. I can always go back and edit later and change whatever I want/need to, but I need to plow on ahead and keep moving or I'll get stuck.

If I edit as I write, I fixate on things and I'm not getting any actual writing done. That was my plan for my current WIP, and I've only got a few major scenes left to write before I'm done (before-the-editing kind of done, not DONE done). So for me, I just have to forge ahead and figure I can fix things when I get to it. :)