When writing first drafts, don’t try. This is a counter-intuitive idea, no doubt. But here’s the thing: trying is often outcome focused whereas flowing is less conditional and more in the moment.
Continue reading “When writing the dreaded first draft, don’t try”I’ve often noticed that when I write a first draft of something, good days are followed by bad days. I’ve noticed this countless times, especially at the start of a novel or short story. It’s almost like I need those days of stuckness and stagnation to get to the good days. But it’s easy to get discouraged on those days where nothing flows, not the story, not the dialogue, nothing—everything you write seems like garbage.
Continue reading “When writing the dreaded first draft, be glad for the bad days”Here’s how first drafts usually go for me: There is a voice in my head that has a lot of things to say about what I’m writing. The criticisms can be endless: this is not original enough; this doesn’t make sense scientifically; this is just plain lame; this is okay—but where’s the story going really, and on and on it goes.
Continue reading “When writing the dreaded first draft, listen to the right voice”