Here’s my explanation of why writing faster than we “are comfortable” can produce fiction just as good (if not better) than a work that’s been written slowly and deliberately.
Tag: Fast Draft
Dec 05 2014
Can Being Tired Make Us Better Writers?
Last month I participated in NaNoWriMo even though it’s the holidays and, as many of you know, I am battling the last vestiges of Shingles which makes me tired, like down to the BONES tired. But, lest I go crazy, I had to write, because that’s what writers do. We aren’t happy unless we are …
Oct 22 2014
Backstory: The More You Know, The Less I Have To
So if you don’t know your backstory, you can’t leave it out. On the other hand, if you DO know it, you don’t feel compelled to put it in, because you don’t have to tell yourself your own story while you’re writing it. You can focus on telling your story to your readers instead.
Jun 17 2013
Write FAST and Furious! Learning to Outrun "The Spock Brain"
When we write quickly, we get into the zone and pass The Wall. We become part of the world we’re creating. Fatigue wears out the cerebral cortex (the “Editor” and I will call this our “Spock Brain”). Fatigue diverts us to the Limbic Brain (also known as the Reptilian or Primal Brain, or for today’s purposes—“The Captain Kirk Brain”).
Mar 20 2013
How Being Tired Can Make You a Better Writer
Our bodies tend to be a bit lazy, and they like to lie. They tell us we need a day or two or twenty off, and the longer we’re away from the work, the easier it is to let things slip, to see a new shiny and start a newer, more exciting project. In this business, time is our enemy. Always remember this.