Don’t Edit!
What do you mean, don’t edit? Okay, let me explain the title. When a writer is writing a rough draft, like I’m currently doing for my second WIP, you might want to turn off the inner editor. The part of you that ones to hone this piece of work until it sings. It is absolutely perfect and the BEST thing you’ve ever written.
Don’t do that!
It took me two years to finish my first manuscript mainly because, (1) I asked for too much feedback and (2) I over-edited the first part of the book. In some ways, I lost my passion for the characters and started trying to re-work the WIP to please others. I know I started the manuscript over about three times, lost a few characters and totally confused myself with the plot. I started off writing suspense and then was convince, my writing was Women’s fiction. I went to mystery and now I’m back to suspense. Woah!
Anyway, finally this past spring, I just pushed my way through writing the end. Granted, I still have one more edit for this first manuscript, but I’m putting it to the side to focus on something new and also to learn from past mistakes.
So many mistakes. Sigh!
A few people have critiqued my first three chapters for my second WIP, and so far people like my protagonist. This time I nailed the opening chapter, unlike my first WIP, so I’m encouraged to move forward.
I’m writing this rough draft and keeping it, well, rough. Before I combine my individual chapters together into the big manuscript, I will check for spelling or glaring errors, but I’m not trying to do full line edits. This time around, I have a chapter outline to help guide me from one scene to the next and that has been a big help. The characters still pull some surprised on me, but I know where I’m going.
Getting this story out of my head is what’s most important. Later, this summer after I’ve focused on another project, then I will go back to work on the next draft. It’s a process to write a book! I’m looking forward to the day when folks will read the stories I’ve struggled so to get out of my head and make sense.
A fellow Carolina Christian Writer’s member offered some great tips on her blog about turning off the inner editor. Check out Managing the Edit Muse.
