Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Bulk Writing & Other Poor Decision Making Skills

When you're working on something larger there's always that moment when you think, "I'm going to write the WHOLE THING tonight!"... You'll later live to regret those words.

Don't get me wrong--I'm all about lofty goals and sleep deprivation. I understand. I've been there. 3am and I are old friends. But there has never been a time where productivity didn't screech to a halt because it had been days since last I slept and my writing is starting to get rambley and vague and it's still STILL not done.

Please take my advise: put it away. Put it away right now and come back to it. Finishing it in one night doesn't make it better, it could actually make it worse. I'm a huge fan of NanoWrimo (nanowrimo.org). I've done six years of Nano, I was a founding donor of Camp Nano, and participated in the first two camp sessions last year. I get the bulk writing mind set. But bulk writing leads to bulk editing. Some people are just not ready for that sort of overhaul. It's brutal. When you hit a block you actually feel like there's something wrong with you.

And this leads me to my next point.

When writing a story you have an A and a B. The problem a lot of writers face is how to get from A to B. Bridge Scenes or Bridging is a highly important skill. How do I bridge? I stalk around my house a lot on the phone with my editor/best friend, I eat things I don't really want to eat, and I mutter to myself a lot. And then I put. it. down. And eventually.... and you can believe this or not... it will come to you.

And THAT is a moment worth waiting for.

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