Greetings, Hi, Hello! Newbie here!

Soooo you know that moment when you're writing and cant help but re-read your stuff or, get stuck on a plot hole you didnt realize existed until that very moment, and you're filled with anxiety and doubt like 'What the hell am I thinking?', 'I dont have what it takes to be a writer.'

To be honest, Im not sure if Im the only one who has these moments as I am completely new to actually trying to write a novel. Ive written stories since I was in third grade and have about a billion stories that Ive started and abandoned lying in small nooks and crannies throughout my house but THIS time I. Will. Finish. It!

Thankfully though, during this particular moment, I decided to distract myself by dic*ing around on the internet and taaa daaa I found this place. After stalking the forums for a little while I have joined and am super super excited to meet fellow writers! Nobody I can talk to in real life really gets what writing is like. My husband, for instance, has asked me a few times 'You cant change things half way through a book, just stick with what you thought of originally and make it work!'. Which I respond with, 'Oh sweetie, I say this with the utmost respect and love.... but zip it!'

So an enthusiastic wave hello!! Hope to be "seeing" everyone soon!!

JetFueledCar said:

But as they say, you can't fix what isn't there. Personally, I recommend not rereading your stuff until you have a draft on the page. Don't. Seriously, don't do it, unless you've forgotten what happened earlier and need to refresh your memory. And if you find a plot hole, write the f*** around it. Don't stop and rip up what you've already written. Chances are there's some good stuff there. I even save my documents under a new name (I'm up to "draft 1.32") every time I go back and take anything out, just so I have every possible version saved.

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Yes! This! I have never intentionally re-read my stuff. Its more like that moment when you stop typing because your trying to think of a good piece of dialogue etc. etc. and my eyes stray up the page to a paragraph I had written previously. D**n you eyeballs!! But I agree and am trying my hardest to just keep chugging and not re read until the whole thing is done. Even then, I will probably open a beer first and congratulate myself on finishing

And writing around plot holes, that is a technique I need to learn! I'm hoping that being on here will help teach me faster than I would figure it out on my own.

Thank you everyone, what a warm welcome!!

And JetFueled, blinders yes.. maybe I should tape a piece of paper over the top half of my laptop so I can only see the exact sentence Im typing ha! Train my eyeballs to stay where I tell them too! Seriously though, thanks for the advice. Sometimes, I convince myself that if I have plot holes it means Im just a terrible writer and have no business trying to craft a story. BUT, Ive done better than I ever have before and ignoring that and just continuing to write.

Connecticut Yankee said:

Hi Carrie Lyn. May I call you Carrie?

I know what you are saying. I have 7,000 words done on my book, and have probably re-written those 7,000 collectively about 10 times. If I could just straighten out and move in a direction instead, I'd be done. So that is my new goal.

Want to get there together?

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Absolutely! On both counts!