Back when I started writing, I wrote and wrote and wrote, never once getting caught up in the trap of making sure every tiny little thing was perfect. Then again, I was around the age of five, so that tracks. As I got older, I started to worry more about if I was using the right words, if my pacing was rushed or too slow, and my writing speed slowed. Over time, I managed to get out of that bad habit, and now I write pretty much exclusively in writing sprints. Grabbing my inner editor and locking her away whilst I get my drafts done has enabled me to write suuuper fast (seriously, I got asked if my WPM was 'possible' the other day! 😅) and made it possible for me to churn out several releases a year.
Even if I silenced my inner critic, though, there's plenty of us (me included, sometimes!) that still struggle. I think every author can relate to the feeling of sitting down all inspired, only to type a few lines, read them back, and suddenly go to hit backspace.
The good news is that it's completely normal. As far as writerly experiences go, that's pretty universal! First drafts are supposed to be gloriously messy, slightly chaotic and sometimes... maybe even bad. Every single book you love started off that way.
This month, whether you're taking part in Story Craft or one of the million other November writing events, most of us are aiming to get a first draft churned out in a month, and it can be sooooo easy to forget that we aren't aiming for perfectly polished, we're aiming for done! You can't fix a blank page, but you can edit a weird, rambly, typo-filled one (and to be honest, it's almost part of the fun!).
If your plot doesn't make sense right now, maybe your characters are acting like they've had too much coffee, or you've got a bunch of typos, that is absolutely okay. You're writing a book, and that's more than most people can say! This week, try to give yourself the permission to write badly. Let your chapters be messy, so you can clean them up later, once you've hit 'the end'. Maybe even challenge yourself to write in a bunch of sprints, and ban yourself from using backspace (I've heard tales that some people literally take the key off...).
However you practice silencing your inner critic, I hope that you'll have a kickass start to your November - making plenty of chaos (and typos)!
As part of Story Craft, I'll be posting a new, motivational 'Monday Muse' every week to help spur writers along to the finish line with their projects this November.
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