Reader,
Oh how nice it would be to revert back to simpler times. I don't mean go back to the 1900's or anything that drastic, but instead back to my childhood, when I was first discovering writing. In middle school and the first parts of high school I could easily fill composition notebooks full of writing, on one particular story. I had at least three composition books full, and although my handwriting has always been big, it was still quite the collection of words.
Now I trap myself, before I even get too far into the story. Is this good enough to publish? What did I read in my blogs about character trait X? How will I write a query for this when it's finished? How many hours worth of revision will this take? How much world building should I do before hand? Should the plot be predetermined? Stephen King writes starting with a what if scenario and just writes. Should I do that? How detailed should my character be before hand? Should I be keeping track of these details while I write? How much research is needed to make this plausible? You get the picture, reader.
I know that first drafts are allowed to suck, but I get stuck in my head, over everything. When I was developing my passion for writing none of that mattered. I wrote for myself first, and anyone who wanted to read it second. I could spend hours writing without worrying about plot, or facts, or saleability. If I want to get anywhere with writing I need to turn this over thinking part of my brain off for writing time. I need to figure out what style of writing works best for me, but stop thinking about what I should be doing differently.
Reader, how do you get past trying to be perfect the first time?
Or do you, similarly, get stuck inside your head?
Until next time,
Rose
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