First Draft Blues...

Honestly, the only way I can do so is by trying to ignore the mistakes. I see, but I continue writing and just keep going and later I forget about that mistake. Maybe what you need to do is really just write and not thinking about spelling and what makes sense. Go with that creative flow of yours. Don't think about it.

Listen to music that inspires you, read a few stories or try beta reading. It really is different for everyone.

one thing i have done to help me not back-track edit when i need to be plowing ahead, is to highlight a section of text i know i'll want to edit later and change the font color to red.
it makes me feel confident i won't forget what needs changing, so that i can focus on moving forward.

it may not work for you, but it's an idea.

ejwriter said:

one thing i have done to help me not back-track edit when i need to be plowing ahead, is to highlight a section of text i know i'll want to edit later and change the font color to red.
it makes me feel confident i won't forget what needs changing, so that i can focus on moving forward.

it may not work for you, but it's an idea.

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This.

I use the highlighter function, so my MS has lots of lovely green highlights through it. I find it helpful for when I cant think of the perfect verb/adjective/sentiment to conclude the sentence. Or with dialogue, where I know the character can come up with something much wittier/profound than the perfunctionary statement I type. I just highlight it, and come back in edits. This way I'm not pausing all the time and staring at the screen trying to perfect the moment.

neener said:

when is writing wonderful for you?

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when pen touches paper

What is it you love about it?

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I get paid to tell lies. And I write mostly academic papers

@ op, so sorry to hear this. Maybe you're having problems cos you're on edge. I mean, you've got an agent and your manuscript is undergoing revision. I'd be on a little on edge too.

My advice: take some time, relax. Don't try to force it. Let it come to you.

In my case, I've got like 5 detailed outline of other WIPS just in case (a) I get an agent and i need to start working on something new, or (b) agent wants something different form me. Gotta plan ahead

Personally, I don't think you always have to ignore that inner editor and plow forward. It depends.

Sometimes I have a nagging feeling as I'm writing a scene that it just isn't working. I'll stop, take some time to think about it, and almost always, I'll realize what's wrong. Usually that realization has an effect on the rest of the story (in a good way.) If I hadn't listened to my inner editor, that change wouldn't have happened, and the story wouldn't be as strong.

Of course there are times when I'm feeling frustrated with my prose or something, and that's when you need to just push forward.

As for that giddy, magic feeling while writing, I was just like you. My first book was pure fun to write. But maybe that was because I didn't know as much as I do now about pacing, plot, etc. I wasn't aware of it, so I didn't worry about it.

Now, writing is wonderful for me about half the time. Some scenes seem to flow out of me, and that's always awesome. The rest of the time it's hard work. Hard, but always rewarding.

Renee Collins said:

Personally, I don't think you always have to ignore that inner editor and plow forward. It depends.

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I'm with Renee. Sometimes I find going over previous scenes helps me regain the flow of the story. But I save the heavy editing until the next drafts.

The First Draft

Writing the first draft won't always be the most fun, although it is a time of exploring the plot and characters that will shape the story. First draft expectations don't have to be about reaching the full potential of the scene or chapter, only that it's going in that direction. It can be difficult to not want to edit your writing as you create it, though it's better to wait a day or so and then read over it to gain a better perspective. Likely, content will be edited and for the better. This is part of the process that strengthens the writer's ability to discern what's needed. After several novels this practice will take less time and won't seem as much of a chore, although is always needed, even after it's submitted to an agent and then is sent to a publishing house for the editor to review.

I was in a serious writing slump after I finished my first novel. I kept waffling back in forth: oh, I'll do something with it. Oh, I won't do something with it.

What I did, after I decided on my next project, was this:
--Interviewed my characters.
--Wrote a few throw-away drafts of climactic scenes I imagined happening in my novel. Kind of like a visualization exercise; you see it, you feel it, then you go back and work towards it, knowing that the real thing will be even better.
--Plugged myself into my iPod and imagined how a movie trailer of my novel might pan out. Tried different scenes. Tried different music.
--Had my characters argue amongst themselves. No scene, nothing. Just Character A and Character B with nothing else to do but bicker. (You learn a lot about them this way...have you noticed that?)

Once I did that, I really got excited about my project. Even when I trashed 30K words in favor of a different narrative voice and had to write the whole first part again.

But, you know, in my experience, it's never as amazing and magical as it is the first time. Although it's just as rewarding!

I don't know what I do. Sometimes I'll just write or sometimes I'll go back and see what I don't like and rewrite it. But once I do, I'm able to continue writing and get farther than I was before.

I've rewritten chapter one, two, three so many times for Ashes, Ashes, it's not even funny, even after I got to page 96. I still went back. However, I went back because I started really getting into character, like I should have at the very beginning, so I had to go back. After I went back, it was great. I was getting so into it and I'm still getting into it.

My advice is to try and ignore some of the things. If that doesn't work, then try forgetting what you wrote, grab a piece of paper and a pen (or pencil). Sit somewhere away from the computer. Anywhere. Bathroom, bedroom, downstairs, upstairs, living room, kitchen, wherever there's no noise like a television or people.

Then when you're alone at wherever you are, envision what you want to write. Start writing. Once you start writing, make sure you have that character -- make sure you know the character you're going to write. Once you write it and get it started, let it flow out.

Once you're done and feel like you can't anymore, go back to the computer and document and take a look at what you wrote. Is it better than the original? Is it worse?

Also try letting your MC scream at you. Speak every little thing that you MC is saying, even if it's not first person. Let yourself become the MC.

That's what helped me, and I think I've changed chapter one for the better. After doing that, I haven't touched it since and I haven't touched chapter two or three since. Things are moving more smoothly and it feels like it's actually her talking in the novel.

Personally, I have a separate document where I write down dotpoints of stuff I need to add/change. That way it's written down so I can remember while not having to worry about it while writing the first draft.

When I wrote a novel around a year ago, I had a trailer that I made. I took pictures off the web, wrote cheesy captions, and set it to dramatic music. It was basically a cliche blurb in trailer form, but every time I wasn't feeling it I watched it and it got me excited about my story.

For the last novel I wrote, I had most of the story planned out, and a lot more "awesome scenes" I looked forward to writing. If I got in a slump, I let the characters have some fun. There were areas I knew wouldn't work, but I just kept writing. For that, you have to think how it'll affect the plot. If it doesn't really change things or it's just clunky writing, I made a mental note (highlighting would've been good, but I was just getting it out. Nanowrimo's like that).

I generally allowed myself to fall in love with the novel and spent months crafting it in my head. By the time I was ready to write it, I'd outlined the first part and knew the twists and turns. Not that I wasn't surprised, but I just worked so much on it the writing came easy and was enjoyable.