Journey – Lesson Learned
A few days ago, I wrote about “Back to the Beginning.” I mentioned that I had taken writing courses because I didn’t want to “wing” it. I learned a lot of things – unfortunately, they slowed down my writing dramatically.
When I wrote that novel (over 100K) years ago, I didn’t know a thing about “point of view” “three-act structure,” etc. I
Anyhow, here I am wondering why it’s taking me so long to write a scene. I write something. The little red line shows up. I change the word or correct the spelling or grammar just so the line disappears. Then I noticed the adverb -ly—supposed to be a no-no in fiction writing. Then, I’m concerned about the five senses – have I used smell? touch? And have I messed up the point-of-view (POV)? By the time I’m satisfied with all that, I’ve already rewritten the scene five or six times. And the creative juices are all but gone.
Recently, I read an article about fast-writing and about the first draft. First drafts are never good. They are first drafts—what do you expect? I read the following from different sources two or three times: a good editor can fix your terrible drafts, but the editor can’t fix a blank page. So, I’ve learned this valuable lesson. I need to forget everything I learned when I’m writing that first draft. After that, I go back and self-edit using all the mechanics, tips and everything to make it a readable draft. Then