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Blinding the inner editor

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Bushrat

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Having just got over debilitating case of writer's block which had me deleting and editing everthing as soon as I had written it, to the point of totally stalling my progress, I wanted to share my solution. Maybe it can help others :)

My problem was that I'd look at what I'd written so far and despair. I knew in my head this was just the first draft and I can edit later, but couldn't get myself to carry on without trying to fix what I'd put down. After fiddling with it for a while, I'd be too discouraged to write more.

My solution: setting the font to a very light grey colour that's barely discernible on the screen. Now I can't read anymore what I write, and I find this incredibly freeing. The words are pouring out and I'm finally making progress again :hooray:
 

blacbird

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I commonly alter the font color to signal for me that a given passage needs reworked/edited, and I can easily find it later and fix whatever needs to be fixed. Usually I change things like that to bright red, so they are noticeable, but this is a highly useful trick, and I recommend it.

caw
 

Atlantic12

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Sounds like a great idea.

I don't get blocked, but I do get frustrated with my own work if I'm in a bad mood, so I love these little mental tricks to get me working again.
 

Kyanite

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I also highlight font with another color when I know that work is needed on a section. It allows me to keep writing without dwelling on the issue needing more research , fleshing out, or editing. I just get the idea down and keep going.

But, I do also get stuck reading and re-reading what I've written. I like the idea of a font that I can't quite read. Although I cringe to think about how many typos I'd find after changing the color back! Flubby fingers are what get me stuck the most. I stop to fix something silly and forget where I was going.
 

Bushrat

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I like the idea of a font that I can't quite read. Although I cringe to think about how many typos I'd find after changing the color back! Flubby fingers are what get me stuck the most. I stop to fix something silly and forget where I was going.

Yeah, it's undoubtedly going to be a very rough first draft and I also cringe when I think of what I'll see when I change the colour to black again. It's a desperate measure for when everything else fails :D
 
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