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Old 05-04-2012, 06:19 PM   #26
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517 words today. Finding it hard to stop editing as I go. Have to keep reminding myself this is only a first, rough draft.

Anyone have any good tricks to switch off the editing part of your brain?
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Old 05-04-2012, 07:02 PM   #27
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Quote:
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517 words today. Finding it hard to stop editing as I go. Have to keep reminding myself this is only a first, rough draft.

Anyone have any good tricks to switch off the editing part of your brain?
Muse, I find getting up early and writing first thing is pretty good for that. I get up so early for my writing sessions, my internal editor isn't awake yet. I get quite a lot done before she realises...
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Old 05-04-2012, 08:26 PM   #28
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Muse, I find getting up early and writing first thing is pretty good for that. I get up so early for my writing sessions, my internal editor isn't awake yet. I get quite a lot done before she realises...
You know, I might try that. Makes sense
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Old 05-04-2012, 09:30 PM   #29
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Sorry, muse, I edit as I go. It works for me.
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Old 05-04-2012, 09:39 PM   #30
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I edit as I go, too. I try not to do it too much, but I write scenes and then rewrite half of them the next day rather often. I also keep a list of major changes to fix at the bottom of the document, though, which helps for things I don't feel like fixing yet. Stuff like "Add in more descriptions during the bomb scene" and "change it so this person says this" and so on. It helps me remember what needs to be done so I don't worry about forgetting. It's especially helpful when I decide to add in scenes and things later on. I can just throw out a note saying what the scene needs to have and worry about adding it on the next draft.
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Old 05-05-2012, 12:25 AM   #31
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So I've been pondering what's been holding me back from writing and I think I hit on one of the issues:

I'm abominably lazy.

No, wait, it was another one... There are two instances in the WIP where my MC behaves exactly as I would in her situation. And that's the problem. I didn't allow her reactions to come organically (or even in a well-thought-out manner); it was "Well, what would I do in this situation?" And that's what I had her do. Totally alien to her character, and I think it hung me up for a while. So I'm going to go back, rip out those two sections, and redo them. One's a small detail, but the other's a big defining moment. Here's hoping it helps. ::crosses fingers::
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Old 05-05-2012, 01:16 AM   #32
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I'm debating whether to edit or not. This WIP is just not working no matter how much I try. Right now I'm going with the 'soldier on' approach to see if eventually I can get it on track then go back and fix, rather than stopping again to try to fix it now.

Cheated a bit on word count. I pasted in a load of words from the earlier draft, about 3,000 words ish, but the WIP did go over 10,000 today because of this.
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Old 05-05-2012, 01:19 PM   #33
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I go back and rewrite or edit when I know I've reached a dead end or got something important wrong, because otherwise I struggle to keep going and it feels off-key.

When it feels right I rush ahead of myself but often the text then is clean enough and I'm on the right track.

This thread has become the carrot to my inner donkey -- I don't let myself come here and read until I have a word count to report.
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Old 05-05-2012, 01:20 PM   #34
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Forgot to report word count -- 643 words, all zippy and saleable. May it last.
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Old 05-05-2012, 02:47 PM   #35
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I did go back and redo those sections. Wrote a bit, too, not sure how many words, but just a few sentences here and there. I think it's smoother and more righter now.

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This thread has become the carrot to my inner donkey -- I don't let myself come here and read until I have a word count to report.
Good!
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Old 05-05-2012, 03:58 PM   #36
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1131 words today, and I owe Shara a great big hug because I tried her idea of getting up just before the sun and writing actual words.

I don't know how many I wrote, but I came back up this afternoon and revised and edited and I have 1131 left and they're pretty tight words All "zippy and saleable", as Marya would say.

I think they'll be staying.

So - Shara - this is for you
Last edited by mccardey; 05-05-2012 at 04:08 PM.
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Old 05-05-2012, 06:48 PM   #37
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Quote:
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Muse, I find getting up early and writing first thing is pretty good for that. I get up so early for my writing sessions, my internal editor isn't awake yet. I get quite a lot done before she realises...
Oooh, that sounds like an option. I must try that.

278 words today, and everyone of them hurt.
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Old 05-05-2012, 09:23 PM   #38
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1131 words today, and I owe Shara a great big hug because I tried her idea of getting up just before the sun and writing actual words.

I don't know how many I wrote, but I came back up this afternoon and revised and edited and I have 1131 left and they're pretty tight words All "zippy and saleable", as Marya would say.

I think they'll be staying.

So - Shara - this is for you
Aww, thanks McCardey! So glad it worked for you!
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Old 05-06-2012, 05:07 AM   #39
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766 words today.

A slight improvement over the last couple of days.
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Old 05-06-2012, 05:21 AM   #40
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3115 typed up from all those pages I hand wrote earlier. Time for some new stuff.
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Old 05-06-2012, 12:54 PM   #41
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A quick 715 words this morning.

There might be time for a quick nap before work.
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Old 05-06-2012, 05:36 PM   #42
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Sunday afternoon with green tea and 400 words so far, none of them up too much.

I made the mistake of drafting out a non-fiction 4 000 word funding proposal before I got to the fiction and couldn't switch brain hemispheres.

Were you up before the French sparrows or alouettes again maccardey?
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Old 05-07-2012, 06:49 AM   #43
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I've decided for May that my goal be to write two shorts--of any length--and a novella. I've got an idea brewing and I'm near sure I won't be able to cram it under 7,500 words.

So, altogether, I guess my goal is somewhere between 17K-30.

Also, I've dipped into screenwriting, but that's not really related to this thread, so I won't mention that.
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Old 05-07-2012, 06:50 AM   #44
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3115 typed up from all those pages I hand wrote earlier. Time for some new stuff.
Go Namatu!
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Old 05-07-2012, 09:11 AM   #45
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Way to go Namatu!

280 for me today between gardening and grading. I started something new. I always feel really uncertain about beginnings (they always seem silly to me), so I'm not sure if any of those words are any good, but they're there, in a brand new file and everything.
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Old 05-07-2012, 04:09 PM   #46
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Were you up before the French sparrows or alouettes again maccardey?

I was and I've done about 300 words so far. Time for lunch - well done everyone. Kaitie - good luck with the new one.

Wordcount - nice little task you've set yourself! I'm impressed!
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Old 05-07-2012, 06:05 PM   #47
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Thanks, Wordcount. That's a great goal you've got!

kaitie, go, go go!

Yesterday was looking like a bust, but once evening set in, the words figured out what they needed to do. Four handwritten pages.
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Old 05-07-2012, 07:26 PM   #48
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Shorts, novellas, screen writing -- Word Count, you're on a roll!

Early risers get in those extra 300, maccardey!

Swopped over to my short story about a dinner party in the Welsh Marches to which an unexpected guest brings along an African tokolosh. Edgy fantasy. I only made a few changes, probably rewrote about 1 000 words or so, but teh story is taking on a more compelling shape.
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Old 05-07-2012, 10:51 PM   #49
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Sounds like everyone is doing well on their word counts.

I managed 1670 over the weekend. Two scenes at the nappy stage and one ready to be born. (Can anyone tell I was baby sitting over the weekend?)
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Old 05-07-2012, 10:53 PM   #50
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I can balance out the 'doing well' - I'm -10,000 today. Starting again (again) but this time I really actually do think I have it sussed. Plot was wrong, characters were wrong, pretty much the whole thing was in a mess. Hoping to get a few words done on version 4 tonight.
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