Okay. Everyone is busy writing away, right? You’re cranking out the pages, tallying up your word counts, chortling at how productive you are.Or maybe not. Maybe some of you are lurking in the background, afraid to post because you haven’t written that much. You started with the rest of us, but now you’re sitting there feeling ashamed because your word count is too low. Maybe you’re even getting depressed about it, wondering what’s wrong with you, why you can’t seem to speed-write like everyone else.
Well, I have a confession. I can’t do it, either! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve joined these groups, thinking what a great idea they are. And each time I vow that I’m going to do it. I’m going to write fast this time. My production will soar. I’ll churn out six books a year.
It never happens. I watch, envious and appalled, as other writers produce page after page of literary brilliance. I barely write a chapter in the time they’ve finished a book.
Now don’t get me wrong. I have improved my pace with effort. I’ve set timers, learned to limit my email, forced myself not to procrastinate and waste time. “Butt in the chair” is a great mantra, and I am the first one to advocate self-control. No dusting allowed, no brushing the dog, no succumbing to the urgent need to polish my nails.
I’m not a slacker. Far from it. I write for hours everyday. But I still don’t crank out the pages.
Why not? Well, first off, I plot with emotion. That doesn’t mean that I’m a “pantzer.” I have a good idea how the story will go before I start. I know the characters, have my GMC charts ready, know how the black moment and crisis will play out. But I can’t sit down and actually write a scene until I can envision it in my mind, until I know what the characters are thinking and feeling — and frankly, that takes time. I start to write, then stop and think. I write again, take a break, and think about it some more.
And each time I stop to think, I peel off another layer. My characters get deeper, more complex. And only when I’ve finally discovered the emotional power in the scene can I finish it and move on. The idea of skipping ahead makes no sense to me. It would be like trying to run a marathon by hopping in various directions. I like to follow a line.
Secondly, I love to revise. I love it! Playing with words, changing the cadence, the rhythm — that’s where the fun comes in for me. And revising strengthens my writing. With each pass I add in more details, more setting, more emotion. By the time I’ve “finished” a chapter I’ve probably revised it fifty times. And it’s still not really done. I continually go back and tinker until I’ve finished the book.
Some of you are probably shaking your heads, saying I’m doing it all wrong. I know. I know this goes against conventional wisdom. I know this impedes the flow. I know I “should” just forge my way through the pages, not looking back, not slowing down, just get through the draft and then revise.
But this method seems to work for me. The books I’ve sold so far have needed very minor revisions (knock on wood). The only changes I’ve had to make were to the scenes I rushed — usually the last few scenes in the book (as I hurried to meet my deadline).
So what does this mean? Well, I’m envious of those of you who can speed-write and meet your quotas. I wish I could do the same. It would really be great. But I’ve learned to accept my process. I’ve learned that we are all different. There is no “right” way to write. What works for me might paralyze you.
So for you lurkers out there, for those of you who write more methodically, please don’t feel that you’re doing something wrong. Experiment, learn what works for you. And then get your butt in the chair and do it! Slow or fast doesn’t matter, but no slacking, no excuses are allowed!
And that’s what this month is really about.
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This post describes exactly how I feel! I am experiencing the worst writer’s block of my life. I’ve written 3,500 words since the start of this thing two weeks ago, when last book, I was cranking out 3500 in a day! And I think the pressure to produce is making it all worse. On top of the fact that for this book, I don’t yet feel like I “know” the characters. I do think that I am pushing through it though. Today I decided the hero is a Jimmy Buffet fan. That fleshed him out a bit for me. And I threw in a side character from a past book, which helped. We will see. Though, with the Philadelphia book Fair this weekend, I don’t know if I will be writing. I am taking Amtrak down, so perhaps I will bring the laptop and try to work on the 3 hour train ride. We will see. Wish me luck!
Gail, great post. I think it’s so true that we all are cursed or blessed with our own process and there’s pretty much nothing we can do about it. I have a friend who can’t write until the last second before her deadline, then she pours out the book in a panic, in the process doing great damage to her sanity and body. She hates her own process, has tried desperately to be more organized and start sooner, but nope. Doesn’t happen.
I have another friend who made up one of my favorite sayings re: ones own limits, neuroses and shortcomings: “Embrace the horror.” Seems to fit in a lot of ways.
Keep at it!
Oh, and while I’m babbling on, I remember seeing a movie about the building of a huge dam (the name escapes my sad excuse for a brain right now). They swung this one little pathetic bucket of cement over to the enormous gaping chasm they had to fill, and you couldn’t help thinking “no way is that going to happen.” But of course, bucket by bucket (Bird by Bird!) it did.
That’s about all the wisdom I’m capable of this morning. It’s a gorgeous day and I am going to brainstorm a book and plant my vegetable garden, maybe at the same time!
Isabel
Good luck, Cat! Writer’s block is hell. Have you read Dennis Palumbo’s Writing From the Inside Out?
He has some really good stuff on coping with block. But yes, not having a really solid handle on what you’re writing can be a huge problem. Sometimes I find going back and rereading from the beginning helps remind me of what I want to do and where I’m going. Time away from the computer helps, too, if you have mindless tasks and can use half your brain to think about the book.
Good luck!
Isabel
Gail: Thank you for this post! It was wonderful, and just what I needed to hear today.
Isabel — I love that: “Embrace the horror.” That is so appropriate!!! Sometimes my process makes me want to scream, but I can’t seem to fight it.
And Cat – my heart aches for you. I went through something similar awhile back and it was dreadful. I thought I was having a meltdown. I finally managed to crawl out of it, but it was not fun!
Great post and how true! It’s what you write, not how fast you do it. There’s days my fingers fly and other days I plod along, but sometimes the plodding along works better because my brain is more in sync and yelling “hey, this works better!” :whistle
The best part is when you’re sitting there writing.
Linda
“The best part is when you’re sitting there writing. ”
I had to laugh. In my book, Linda, the best part is when you’re DONE :partyhat . And happy with what you have.
I got lots done today, all of it research. It counts, but I always feel like I cheated and am bad for not putting words on a page.
Isabel
Isabel,
Look at it this way. If you didn’t do the research, you wouldn’t have all those additional words to write, would you?
I’m having so much fun with the series I’m writing now I hate to see each book end even though I know I’ll be diving into the next one.
Linda
Great post, Gail.
I love hearing how other writers work
Can I ask how long it takes to write a book? Like you, I love revising but wouldn’t have the time to do each chapter fifty times.
And I love the sound of minimal revisions later!
Do you have any tips for quick editing as we go? :think
Thanks!
Oops, meant to add, if anyone hasn’t checked out Gail’s ‘Heart of a Thief’ cover for her release this month, do so! Very nice…
(Yes, I was checking out blogs and websites last night rather than writing :halo )
Isabel – “Embrace the Horror”. So true
.
Gail, thanks for your post. I signed up for this challenge on Day 1 but didn’t start writing until a few days ago. I can’t speed write without a timer. When I force myself to speed write, I tend to meander. Sadly I think this is an unfortunate side effect of doing Morning Pages (Julie Cameron-The Artist’s Way) on and off for the last few years.
Like you I have to sit down and think before I write. I don’t have to have the whole book worked out. I try not to look back, but it niggles at me when I’ve changed something down the road. I can’t move on until I’ve fixed the problem earlier in the manuscript.
So yeah, my word count is not that high either.
Great post!
And yes, noone ever said this has to be a speed contest! (Well, THIS challenge is, but not writing in general.) Spending a year on a wonderful tale can be just as great as pumping out ten.
Still, if being “slow” hinders your enjoyment at all, I found it CAN be overcome. See, I love stories so much that ideas forever pop into my head, and at the rate I was going (1st book=almost 2 years) I’d never have finished what was already in line, let along more.
How did I change this? Two words: Fast Draft. Two more: Free Workshop. Candace Havens offers a course that shows how to write 70k in TWO WEEKS. And yes, I did just that. Once. :laugh
The info I gained helped me go from 2 years to draft to 4 months, then 2 months, then 1. Quite useful since I’ve also got a full time job, part time editing gig, a family to raise, and books to promote.
Surely “fast drafting” isn’t a must for success! But for those looking to add a hyperdrive to their word count, I recommend her class:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Write_Workshop/
*phew* Then i think i shall calm down a bit…and still work hard but not put myself through hell. i’m supposed to enjoy this, and it’s time i stop obsessing. i’m really bad about obsessing.
So, last i was here, i had 831 words.
Current story WC: 1,230 words.
Current challenge WC: 8,010 words.
*smiles* Hope everyone’s doing well!
Blessings,
Dena
Lisa, that’s AMAZING! Thanks for posting the link. I’ve signed up. Can’t hurt to give it a go.
I’m checking in with 364 for the day. The day job took up a lot of my time and now I’m on the first love scene. I am painfully slow at writing love scenes most of the time. :hmm
Total so far: 11,270
Not quite where I’d hoped to be at this point, but not terribly behind either. Goal for the weekend–3k. We’ll see if I can get there, since I have a graduation party to go to tomorrow.
It’s just as well slow is okay. <–7,500
So good you all! I don’t obsess like I used to in the beginning of my career. I know that errors can be fixed, that my words aren’t written in stone, but I’m best off just getting it all down then go through it later. Especially when you have those words that Spell Check won’t catch because they’re spelled correctly but not what you want there.
Linda
Nicola – that’s a great question. I AM getting faster with time. It used to take me a year when I was teaching full time. Then it got to six months, then four when I had more time to write. Now I’m writing as fast as I can to write a book in under three months. But my natural process is SLOW. I can’t seem to help it. I just layer and layer.
I think that’s the hardest part of writing — trying to mesh the demands of a career with a slower style. I am trying my best, but my first drafts are awful. Really!!! I doubt I’ll ever be able to whip a book out in two months. It’s just not the way I operate. I wish I could!!! And I think that I can’t sacrifice quality for quantity.
I have a dream in my mind, sort of the ideal writer — a person who can sit down and type out a draft in a month, and it all sounds brilliant. Mabye that’s Nora? It sure isn’t me!!!! But it’s a great dream.
But again, I am trying to write faster. :wow
Go Dena and Cassandra, those are great totals!
Isabel
Woohoo! Checking in with good news before I go to bed. I finished the love scene, leaving me with 1,121 for the day and just over 12k total. :party
Yay to all on the totals. I guess we’ve all got to remember that no matter how much we write on a given day, at least we’ve written something–right?
I’m resolving to try not to get mad at myself on bad writing days. I’ll just try to write more the next day.
Hi All,
I’m at just over 17,000 so far but haven’t written anything for two days. I think I’ve just hit my saggy bit, so I’m taking the two days (well it’ll be three) not going to beat myself up over it and I’ll get back into it on Monday.
I’ve left my hero and heroine in bed after they just had sex all over his apartment. :whistle , To tell you the truth I think they are just exhusted. :smackers
Hope you all have a great weekend. Happy writing.
Hugs
Sandie
Lisa – You know, I think you hit upon my problem. I don’t have tons of ideas pinging around in my head. It takes me a while to figure out what needs to happen. I wish all I had to do was jot it down. My hardest part is not the word crafting (that’s fun), but coming up with the ideas and envisioning the scenes!
Sandie – resting after hot sex is good! :hot Your characters will be up and at ‘em again in no time! :laugh
Barb – I’m glad my post resonated with you. I know there have to be lurkers out there who are not quite thrilled with their progress right now.
And Linda – we all have good and bad days. I love it when the words just seem to fly. Maybe that’s the part of the value in speed writing — the good days come faster with practice?
Sussan – timers are great! Using one has helped me enormously. It really keeps my butt in the chair. I set it for 30 minute increments.
Nicola – I don’t know that I have any editing tips. Make it sound good? :laugh My real issue is not letting myself waste time. It’s shocking how many things I think I “have” to do instead of writing. That’s probably the biggest obstacle to my productivity, but using the timer helps.
Oh, and wasting time by looking at my book cover is definitely allowed!!! :read I have an excerpt posted on my website, too!
Dena, Cassandra, and Emily – great totals! Seriously, you are all coming along nicely. Let’s all have a great writing weekend. I’m going to flesh out another chapter. Here goes…. :write
Gail, you’re absolutely, unequivocally right! Man, there are times when I’ve finished a story and miss the characters so much I’ll go back and reread it later. Savoring every moment of telling a great story is one of the best parts about being a writer…whether we have a few of them, or many.
Lisa – I am also a chronic rereader. There are books that I have probably read dozens of times. I just love the characters and the world the writer created and can’t let them go.
And whenever I finish a book I’m writing, I have the same sensation. Well, first there is that total relief. But then I miss the characters and want to go back. It takes me awhile to adjust to a set of new people!
The fact that you love to revise floors me!!!
LMAO
Sheesh, I have a coronary if I have to use the backspace key!
Hope everyone is rocking right along with the word count.
Last weekend? Not so good.
This weekend? Ever so much better.
Grins*
And writing a first draft for me is like pulling out all my teeth. It is sooo hard. Once I have something — anything — on the page, the fun begins.
Which proves my point. We all have a different process!
I’m glad your word count is going well.
Thanks Gail
Must go check out that excerpt…
And 3 months is good! Sounds like you have editing down to a fine art.
I love revising, which is why I’m doing a Margie Lawson ‘Deep Editing’ online course at the moment…some brilliant stuff there.
Need more time to apply it all!!!
Margie’s classes are great. I’ve taken them all!!!