On this Thanksgiving Day in the United States, I want to send you a big thank you for watching these vlogs and sharing bits of your life stories with us.
In this fifty-eighth episode, we explore the question: Is it okay to edit while writing? The short answer–no.
Writing and editing draw on different sides of the brain, and doing both at the same shuts down the creative process. Break the habit to write better stories.
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Until next time, happy writing.
Such good reminders, which help me think that maybe I do have creativity inside somewhere. If editing too soon squelches creativity, I’m closing the door on it.
Keeping my writing short, a paragraph or two only at a time, helps me feel like I don’t need to edit just yet. But the tendency to edit is still there, so I like this topic.
When I first started writing I thought you were supposed to edit as you wrote. My first handwritten drafts were a mess with scratched out words or sentences. After taking Patricia’s classes in the Villages I realized I was sabotaging my own work. It’s a tough habit to break though. I am still working on it.
I view writing as painting with words, and taking on a similar process from inspiration to completion. What works for me is to get a good primer coat down consisting of the strokes of inspiration from brainstorming. Once that dries, I find mysekf layering on details, dialogue, and sequence. Many times, I’ll step back and look at what I’ve created thus far and tweak, revise and rewrite, wash, rinse, and spin and do it again till it flows in a rhythm. What works for me, works for me and however we reach that final draft, is all that frankly matters.
I can just visualize the canvass as you describe, Steven. I am going to practice with this idea and see if it works for me, knowing I can always paint over what I’ve started, with something different or make enhancements. Very cool!
Today, I am thankful for many things. Amongst those, Patricia, I am grateful for having you a part of my life.
I caught myself doing just that last Wednesday. Writing a difficult first draft, I started to edit as a means of procrastination.
Ha ha ha, Oh that’s a rich insight – editing as a form of procrastination. If I catch myself doing that, I will stop! Thanks, Dave