Are you caught up in the editing stages of a book, story, or novel and just can’t seem to get back to the actual writing? This blog post offers a helpful solution.
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Excerpted from my lagoon blue “Ecosystems” journal on October 14, 2014
Illusions of Writing Grandeur
Since I’ve been hard at work—for love, not money—on my novel, I’ve come to realize that even though I’m spending time editing, reading, and getting reacquainted with my story and its characters, it’s in no wise a comparison with, or substitute for, writing.
Writing is a creative endeavor; rewriting and editing, on the other hand, are mostly skimming in small sections and adding/cutting a few things here and there. It’s more of a left-brain function. There’s no new flow of creativity, just filling in the gaps and looking for mistakes.
In real writing, there are no mistakes; not if you truly want to be a successful writer—and by successful, I mean having a finished and completed a first draft. Something to show for your blood, sweat, and tears, in other words.
Writing is a creative endeavor; rewriting and editing, on the other hand…is more of a left-brain function.
- me
A Solution for Endless Editing Woes
So my solution—I realized after having come out of my subtle illusion that I’ve been writing while editing—is to keep writing (actually writing new material) in my journals, on my blog, in stories, ideas, doodles even, while I wait to finish the editing phases of my novel. Such fresh writing is what will keep the creative juices flowing for the next book, whatever that may be.
There’s no rule that states you have to stick to what you’re currently working on before you can work on something else. Tons of authors work on multiple books, stories, and projects, especially if they get writer’s block. When that happens, they simply work on something else and give their mind a break on the current task until the block dissipates. It’s not multitasking, because you’re still working on one thing at any given time.
Time to go. I’m glad I let this entry “happen.”
There’s no rule that states you have to stick to what you’re currently working on before you can work on something else.
- me again
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